All I Can Be
by Nightstar Fury
Summary: Hunter Haddock always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. As Freshman year ends, Hunter decides not to waste another three years in school learning things he knows. With his father's support and help; Hunter gets his GED, joins the army, and leaves for boot camp over the summer. When he returns, a series of events take place that Hunter has to overcome to be all he can be.
1. A Deal Made

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)  
_ _ **Rating** ; M for Mature  
_ _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury  
_ _ **Disclaimer;** I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Character List;  
 **Hunter Haddock-Hiccup;** Captain  
 **Caitlyn Haddock-Camicazi;** Younger sister of Hunter  
 **Viola Haddock-Valka;** Lead assistant for the mayor of Archi/Mother of Hunter and Caitlyn  
 **Salvatore 'Sal' Haddock-Stoick;** Former Second Lieutenant-Retired/Father of Hunter and Caitlyn  
 **Gregory Forger-Gobber;** Friend of Haddock family/Godfather to Caitlyn and Hunter  
 **Treyden Fury-Toothless;** First Sergeant  
 **Audrey Hofferson-Astrid;** Ex best friend and girlfriend to Hunter  
 **Shane Jorgenson-Snotlout;** Cousin to Hunter &Caitlyn/Dating Renee Thorston  
 **Travis Thorston-Tuffnut;** Twin brother of Renee Thorston  
 **Fisher Ingerman-Fishlegs;** Dating Heather DeRange  
 **Edward 'Eddie' Eriksen-Eret;** Bully of Hunter  
 **Drew DeRange;** Sister of Heather DeRange/Bully of Hunter  
 **Renee Thorston-Ruffnut;** Twin sister of Travis Thorston/Dating Shane Jorgenson  
 **Heather DeRange-Heather;** Sister of Drew DeRange/Dating Fisher Ingerman  
 **Theodore Vollan-Thuggory;** Sergeant  
 **Andrew Kingston-OC;** Sergeant First Class  
 **Harry Andersen-OC;** Major for the Plasma Fire Company at Camp Draconia  
 **Asher Holgerson-Alvin;** Lieutenant of Alpha Hooligan Platoon

 **~Author's Note;** _Okay so, this is another HTTYD modern military story, and the pairing will be Toothless and Hiccup. Now, I've renamed some of the Archipelago Islands to resemble something closer to a town name and in (…) markings, I labeled which island the town name refers too. Just thought I should mention that before you get confused! Enjoy the story!_

A Deal Made

~Hunter's POV~

I couldn't quite grasp the fact that in a month and a half, I would be done with my Freshman year of High School at Berk Academy. Oh, I should introduce myself. My name is Hunter Haddock, sixteen-years-old, male and a Freshman, about to be Sophomore when summer break was over at the end of August. So, back to Berk Academy. It's not the most prestigious school but one of the best in Berkton, a small town with a population of one to two hundred who resided here in the island of Archi. The capital of our beloved island is Barbick. Now, our island is located in the territory of Denmark, but they don't govern us so were on our own to survive using trade. Thankfully, Denmark helps us out a lot plus the neighboring countries of Norway, England, Iceland, and Germany being the closest. Aside from Berkton, thirteen other towns surround the central city which is Archi.

Those towns are; Outford(Outcast Island), Bersdale(Berserk Isle), Shivpool(The Shivering Shores), Meatsville(Meathead Island), Visiham(Visithug Isle), Bashwick(Isle of Bashem), Boghaven(Bog-Burglar Island), Hystbury(Hysteria Island), Ughurst(Uglithug Isle), Murmount(Murderous Mountains), Peacefield(Peaceable Country), Lavstead(Lava Lout Island), and Huntsmar(Dragon Hunter Island). For where I am on Berkton, the farthest town to travel to is Huntsmar being an hour and fifteen minutes away whereas the shortest distance is Bashwick at a total of ten minutes. Archi was in the middle at thirty minutes, and everything else was between ten and fifty minutes for travel.

So, we're in the year 2016, and it's the beginning of May. The last day of Freshman year is June 10th and then two months of summer. We would return to school the last week in August to begin our Sophomore year, still three until graduation. Why do I sound like I hate school? Because I do. All through this past year, nothing taught was something I didn't know. I was a smart kid and had been offered to skip grades before, but my parents felt like I should get to enjoy the experience each grade had to offer. It was fun for a bit; now it's just irritating. My little sister got to jump a grade when it showed that her education level was that of a high schooler.

My family? I have a mom, dad, and sister. Well, I guess I can count my cousin and his parents as part of the family too. My mom's name is Viola; she's lead assistant to the mayor of Archi. My father is Salvatore, Sal for short and former military man; he retired at forty-eight with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Now a stay-at-home dad. My little sister goes by the name Caitlyn, she's thirteen and a half but got to jump from seventh grade to ninth. Cait is in all my classes so I can keep an eye on her because that was Mom and Dad's stipulation to her skipping a grade. My cousin is Shane Jorgenson, and his parents are Shawn and Mikayla Jorgenson. Oh, there is one more member of the family I can't forget to mention; Gregory Forger. This man is my father's best friend, also, mine and Caitlyn's Godfather but we call him Uncle Greg.

Do I have friends, of course! Along with some bullies and a gorgeous girlfriend. My friends include Renee and Travis Thorston; identical twin siblings, fifteen-years-old with pale blond hair and blue eyes. Oh, and those two are the class clowns. There is Fisher Ingerman; fifteen, with bright blond hair and green eyes, he's full-figured young man. Fisher is smart but always worried about something but the guy had a girlfriend, and she's one of my friends too. Heather DeRange, fifteen. Very sweet girl with green eyes and dark brown-almost black hair. Fisher and Heather have been together for a little over four months. I have Shane too even though he's my cousin; he's a good friend. Fifteen-years-old with dark brown hair and blue eyes, he was a built a little bigger up top but still lean due to being on the football team.

Also on the football team happens to be me my two bullies. Edward Eriksen and Drew DeRange. Yes, Drew is Heather's older brother, and both of my bullies got themselves held back two years for being idiots. Edward was eighteen would knock out anyone besides a teacher or his parents if they didn't call him Eddie. The guy had medium brown hair and brown eyes. Drew was seventeen and a half, he had red hair with green eyes. Eddie and Drew were best friends, and Gods did it suck that I had to suffer my high school career with them. Did I mention that my cousin Shane and Renee have serious crushes on one another and neither of them will speak up?

I can't knock having a crush and being too shy and nervous to say something. I got over the fear eventually, and things turned out for the better. My best friend is Audrey Hofferson, and she happens to be my girlfriend of one year come June 14th. Audrey is a Goddess to me; blonde hair always braided down her back or over her shoulder, and she had sky blue eyes. Audrey and I have been best friends since first grade; we developed crushes on one another in the sixth grade, then we got together at the end of our eighth-grade year. We were only fourteen but didn't care, and no one else seemed too either. I love Audrey with my everything, and when I turned eighteen, I was going to ask her to marry me.

So yeah, that's me in a nutshell. My life is good, and that was my problem lately; the fact my life is average when I knew it could be amazing, and I could become so much more than what I was now. See, from the time I was old enough to understand my father's former career, I've wanted to do the same thing. I want to be like him, follow in his footsteps of joining the army and serve my home as a soldier that defends the people who live here. Alas, I'm only sixteen, and the only way to join is if I give proof that I have a full twelve-year education which can be done with a high school diploma which meant staying at Berk Academy another three years. I hated it, but I didn't know another way to tackle the situation.

I was so spaced out in my thoughts that I missed hearing the bell that signaled the end of the school day and got shaken slightly by Shane. "Hunter? Yo, cuz! Snap out of it man," Shane tried. I shook my head to focus again out and looked at him. "Dude, the bell rang two minutes ago, and it's Friday! Get up and drive us home, would ya?" he chuckled. Right, I had my license now. Got it back in February when I turned sixteen. I was a leap year baby and that means that my actual day of birth only comes every four years I was born February 29th, 2000 so being 2016 now, I'm technically only four years old if you're going by birthdate. But, I am sixteen and we just celebrate my birthday on the 28th of February and consider me a year older when March hits. So, Dad gave me his truck when I passed my drivers test. I always drove Shane, Audrey, and Caitlyn home after school. Heather went home with her brother and Eddie. Fisher and the twins took the bus.

Dad had the truck done up in camo for me because he knew I loved the military. Even my room was decked out with camouflage bedding, and the walls were lined with pictures of airplanes, helicopters, guns, and vehicles that the army used. My truck is a 2010 survivor edition; capable of handling all terrain, while being a four door that sat five and myself comfortably. The truck is dark gray with a black and gray camo strip on the sides but the bed was all camouflaged, I friggin loved it.

I took Audrey home first, then Shane, finally Caitlyn and myself. I parked in my spot next to the garage and shut it off then Caitlyn, and I got out and entered the house. "Welcome home you two," my father greeted with a smile, then a hug for both my sister and I.

"Hi Daddy," Caitlyn replied.

"Hey, Dad," I said with a smile.

"Your mother has to work late, so we're doing pizza for dinner. Why don't you two head to your rooms to start your homework?" Salvatore suggested, we needed and went to our rooms. Mine was on the right next to the bathroom, Caitlyn's on the left by a hall closet and the laundry room. Mom and Dad had the master at the end of the corridor. We lived in a one level house with a basement. Pretty simple set up. From where I parked, you would enter the garage then into the house was the kitchen. This room also was half dining area with a sliding glass door that leads to the back porch and yard. Leaving the kitchen, you would look left to see the hallway with the bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room. Looking right was the door to the basement which had workout equipment that I used often.

If you didn't go left or right down the hall when leaving the kitchen, you could keep going straight into the living room and towards the back of that was Mom's office and it held Dad's military pictures and achievements. There was a door in the living room would lead to the front yard and a walking path to the driveway. I loved this house, and we had been living here since Caitlyn and I were about six right before the start of first grade where I met Audrey. I didn't meet Fisher, Renee, or Travis until the fifth grade. Heather, Drew, and Eddie at the start of Freshman year. Shane and I saw one another every day and two nights a week because our families used Tuesdays and Thursday to have dinner together, then there was the summer picnics every other weekend.

Now in my room, I glanced at the nightstand clock and read the time as 2:10 pm and the school had let out at 2 pm. I pulled out my homework and took a seat at my desk to get to work. It was Friday so I didn't have a lot to do and it was stupidly easy. An hour later, I was finished and sighed heavily putting it all away then looked at the poster hanging over my desk. Dad got it for me as the motivation to do good and work hard to make my dream of joining the army a reality when I turned eighteen and graduated. The poster was the symbol of the Archian Armed Forces with that title and then all the branches listed too. My eyes locked on to the army one.

"Be All You Can Be in the Archi Island Army of the Archian Armed Forces," I must say these words every day to myself hoping to find an answer to my dilemma of wanting to join now. I powered on my tablet and started researching. Around 3:25 pm I found something interesting. If I took the GED and passed, I could join, but I still needed parental approval. Mom would never agree, she was the one who was firm on not letting me skip grades. However, Mom wasn't home right now, and I could try talking to Dad about it, right? What would it hurt?

I put the tablet down and got up then left my room to find my father. Caitlyn was listening to music and still doing homework. This was the perfect chance to talk to Dad about things. I checked around the house and didn't see him nor was he outside in the front or back yard. I checked the garage, and his car was still in the driveway, so I knew he was here. One spot left to look, the basement. I opened the door and walked down the stairs, "Dad! You down here?"

"I am, son; you need help with homework?" Sal inquired as I shut the basement door and walked all the way down to see him looking through the toolbox for something.

"No, I finished that fifteen minutes ago. What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Nothing really, seeing what needs to be replaced and organizing a bit. So, what did you need?" Sal smiled at me.

"Was wondering if we could talk in private about something I'm having a problem with?" I informed. My father arched a brow at me questioningly.

"Private huh? What category is your problem in, son? Something at school? Girlfriend problems? Personal matters?" Sal moved away from the toolbox and sat down on one of the equipment pieces as I leaned against the work table with my eyes closed.

"Uh...I guess it would be personal?" I responded with what sounded close to what I was aiming for.

"I take it you don't want your mother or sister knowing?" Sal asked as I shook my head. "All right then. Lay it on me, and I'll help if I can, Hunter. But if this has anything to do with wanting to be intimate with Audrey, make sure she's on birth control, and you use protection," Sal began as my eyes widened, "I know the hormones of a teenage boy can take over in so all I ask is that you use condoms. If you need me to give you money for them, ask. And for the love of Odin, don't tell your mother because she'll kill me," he sighed heavily.

Dear Gods, this got awkward fast, and I couldn't believe that was the first thing he jumped to. I suppose I couldn't blame him, Audrey and I had been in some heated make out sessions with a little body exploration ever since we hit five months dating but still, Audrey and I were nowhere near ready to take it to the next level of being intimate like that. "Well, I'm glad I have your consent to have sex with my girlfriend, Dad but that's not what I wanted to talk about," I muttered.

"Your mother and I have been worried since you turned fifteen. Because we feel you wouldn't talk to us if you felt like being intimate with a female so I felt I'd take the chance to tell you that we understand what it's like to be a teenager in love with trying new things, coping with new feelings in the bo-" my father continued.

"DAD!" I said quickly while bringing my hands to my face and shaking my head. "For the love all things sacred, please stop worrying about it, okay? I went through puberty at twelve, and we had this talk when Audrey and I started dating last year. I know hormones rage out of control. I know how being turned on and getting hard works. I'm not afraid to talk to you and Mom about it; I just haven't been in the situation where I need too. I know how to control myself and not get lost in the moment with pleasure taking over. The day Audrey and I decide to be sexually active, you'll know because I'll come to you both to ask questions to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Aye, son. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I'll be quiet so you can tell me what problem you're having if you still want to that is?" Sal offered.

I sighed some and looked at him seriously before leaning back on the work table again. "It's more of a question," I stated.

"Well, ask then. Though, usually, questions are followed by a discussion before a decision is made and you know your mother likes to be a part of these things. So I find myself asking why you don't want her to know?" Sal inquired.

My eyes closed and I turned my head a little, "Because she wouldn't understand and say no without letting me explain just like when she said I couldn't skip grades because it would hinder my school experiences," I replied.

"That's good reasoning. I tried to get her to agree, Hunter," Sal mentioned.

"I know, that's why I figured I would come talk to you without her," I said now.

"I'm all ears son, you know you can ask or talk to me about anything, and we'll figure something out to fix the problem," Sal told me calmly.

I took a deep breath, "You know I want to join the army, and I have wanted to follow in your footsteps with a military career since I was seven,"

"You can join after you graduate, just as I did, Hunter. I do not see the problem here?" Sal questioned.

"The problem is that I don't want to wait three more years to join, Dad," I told him as I saw him sigh some.

"You know the requirements to join, son. You have to finish high school," Sal reminded.

"Not if I take the GED and pass," I looked back at my father again. "I could drop out of school with your consent if I have my GED, then join the A.I.A..." I trailed off.

"What are you asking me, Hunter?" Sal asked.

"I love my life, Dad. I love my friends, my girlfriend, my family but I want more than this...same, average life day in and day out for the next three years. This past year in high school, I've learned nothing that I didn't already know. If I take the GED and pass, then it shows I passed the academic studies Kindergarten through Twelfth grade, and that would let me join the army now. That's what I'm asking; will you let me take the GED?" I asked firmly.

"Hunter, I don't know about this. I know you're not stupid but to take the GED and be tested on things you haven't learned yet?" Sal inquired.

"I looked at the Berk Academy curriculum online and the next three years aren't even a challenge, it's all things I know about or how to do. Just let me try, and if I do fail, then I'll shut up and finish the next three years without a word until I graduate. Please, Dad? You always told me that if I wanted something, I had to take the opportunity to get it. You know how you felt when you wanted to join and got to do so; the amazing feeling you got doing the work you did, making all those friends, getting to be part of something great. I want that, Dad. I want it more than anything else and taking the GED is my opportunity of getting to change my life into something...more now. The chance to become all I can be. Please give me this chance, Dad?" I pleaded calmly.

Sal sighed and closed his eyes a moment before standing up and walking towards me. "I will make you a deal," he said as I listened carefully to him. "You take the practice test offered online and pass those with nothing lower than a seventy-five...I will let you take the GED exam, and if you pass it, I will help you join the army with my full support. Also, I won't tell your mother or sister anything until after you ship off for boot camp when they ask where you are. Is that fair, son?"

"More than fair and it's a deal I'm happy to make with you, Dad," I hugged him tightly, and I felt him return it. "Thank you. Thank you so much for understanding what this means to me, and I won't let you down," I told him. A deal was made, and it was up to me to fulfill my part of it first. I had to study and take the practice test to show my Dad I could do it and then he would let me take the GED exam. And once I passed that, my father would help me join the Archi Island Army.


	2. Officially In

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Officially In

-Hunter's POV-

Here I was three weeks later since the day I talked to my father about taking the GED and joining the army at sixteen instead of nineteen. I was grateful that mom worked late that night because if she heard the deal my dad and I made, she would lose her mind and flip out. Dad was more understanding because he knew what it was like to admire the work of the military, to be a part of something that defended the home where we reside. Being a soldier was hard work and dangerous, but it was an honor to serve our home and kept the people safe. Gods, I couldn't wait to take this test tomorrow. It would be done in the Berkton Community Center at 10 am. Dad already planned to take me since I would be home as 'sick.' Mom was buying it thus far, I had gone running and used the workout equipment in the basement to raise my temperature before she got home.

Another thing I used to make her think I was too sick for school was coughing hard, shivering, and made a forced sound that I was gagging or heaving in a sense that I would throw up. It sucked to do, but it worked. Mom said I could stay home and if I weren't better by Monday then I would be going to the doctors, it wouldn't get that bad. Dad and I were playing it off as a twenty-four-hour bug so I would be _okay_ by the time she got home tomorrow night. This weekend was going to suck because even being I take the GED exam tomorrow, I don't get the results until Monday. Dad and I were going to go to the community center after school since Caitlyn was staying after for the football game and Aunt Mikayla was going to bring her home.

The last three weeks had been busy for me. After talking to Dad, I spent two weeks preparing for the practice test. I looked up all the material for Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years of High School then made sure I knew key points and ways to solve things. Reading and Language Arts wouldn't be hard, I used most of my free time to read or write. When I felt ready, I took the practice test online last Saturday while Mom and Dad were at some dinner party and Caitlyn was sleeping over Audrey's house with Heather and Renee. I had all night to do it, and by the grace of Odin, I finished around 11 pm and passed with nothing lower than an eighty! I used my phone to take a picture of the test score screen showing them all and sent it to Dad. His response was; _Well done, son. I'm proud of you. We'll talk Monday night about the next step -Dad_.

Sure enough, Monday afternoon came while Mom was working until 4:30 pm and Caitlyn was doing her homework, Dad and I returned to the basement to talk. Doing some research, we saw that the next GED test was being held Friday, which was now, tomorrow for me. The exam would be all day and under a time limit for each segment of the test as there were five altogether; Science, World History, Mathematics, Reading, and Language Arts. I was taking tonight to study a little of each subject again though I was distracted at the same time. I knew by now my friends and girlfriend noticed my severe mood change and quietness. None of them knew my plans to try and join the army early, but they didn't know from previous conversations that I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps of becoming a soldier.

My Mom severely disliked the idea and had been begging me since eighth grade to find another career; a safer one were the words used. I told Mom I wasn't changing my mind, the 'talks' had turned into arguments when I started High School because she knew in four years at the time, I would join. Now it was three years, and she still tried to offer me other options. Boy, is she going to be mad when I join at sixteen, I believe in myself, so I know I will pass my GED. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what Audrey, Caitlyn, Shane, and my friends would think when they discovered what I have decided to do. I have pondered telling them, but I didn't want the fight when the inevitably disagreed with the choice. Things were better this way, not to tell them.

I would after I got through boot camp, after that, there wouldn't be anything they could do but support me as my Dad did or walk away. It would suck if they did but I've learned over the years that your real friends will stand by you no matter what and those who don't, well, they didn't belong in my life after all. I glanced at the clock now; it was 10:15 pm, I should get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow. This was it, the next step in joining the army and working towards my future.

(Next Morning; 9:45 am-Berkton Community Center)

It was going to be a long day of testing and a more extended time waiting on the results, but I was determined to see it through. I refused to be held back by anyone or anything anymore. This was my chance, and I was taking it.

"Are ya ready son?" my father asked me after we reached the table outside the room for testing.

"I am," I replied. I got registered, handed a calculator, pencil, and few pieces of scrap paper then entered the room with a deep breath. Dad was probably going to wander around town or do some shopping to pass the time. Each test was an hour long; sixty questions for Mathematics, Science, and World History. Language Arts and Reading had fewer questions but had a writing portion to make up for it. We would get a fifteen-minute break to get some water, a snack, or use the restrooms in between exams. When the clock struck 10 am, the room door closed and the first test was handed out.

(4:45 pm)

I wanted to eat, take a shower, and go to sleep. That's how tired I was from basically sitting all day except for the four fifteen minute breaks to stretch my legs. All the breaks added up to an extra two hours that we had to be there for testing. Thankfully, Mom had to work until 6:30 tonight and Caitlyn was still at the game until 5:30. Dad and I got in the car and headed home to relax. Of course, he had to make dinner, and I would likely help him out. The GED exam was over, and now, I had to wait until Monday night to know if I passed or not. The examiner said she would call between 9 am and 3 pm to let us know. There were only eleven people testing today, so now it was just a waiting game to see if I would take the next step towards joining the army.

(Monday Afternoon; 2:50 pm)

It had been such a stressful day to wait for this call. Ten minutes left in the time frame and I was beginning to think I didn't pass, and that's why the examiner woman hadn't called me. Dad and I were in the living room, my phone sitting on the table and there was silence. Dad knew I was nervous about failing this; it meant that I would shut my mouth and deal with the next three years of high school. I checked the clock once more; 2:57. Time to accept there would be no phone call, if I had passed, I would have known by now. I sighed heavily, disappointed in myself.

"I guess I better go do my home-" I stopped quickly when I heard the phone vibrating on the wooden table. I reached forward and grabbed it quickly while pressing _answer_ and putting it on speakerphone. "Hello?" I asked.

" _Hello, good afternoon. I'm looking for a Hunter Haddock, is he present?"_ came a kind female voice.

"This is him, may I ask who is calling?" I inquired.

" _Of course. This is Leanna Mardens from the GED program at Berkton Community Center. I'm so sorry for not contacting you sooner with your results. There seemed to be an issue with the phone system and the person delivering the scores was stuck in traffic behind an accident,"_ Leanna informed. I felt some relief wash over me but still had to know if I passed or not.

"Oh, no worries. Things happen outside our control from time to time," I replied, "So, how did I do?" I asked nervously.

" _Well, Mr. Haddock, would you like the pass/fail answer or each segment score?"_ Leanna questioned.

I glanced at Dad, and he gave me a return look that said it was up to me. "Subject scores is fine," I answer.

" _Reading; 93. World History; 91. Science; 90. Language Arts; 96. Mathematics; 98. Overall, young man, as of today, you have your GED which states you completed the Kindergarten through Senior Year education requirements,"_ Leanna murmured. I couldn't believe it. I passed the exam with all A's!

"Thank you, Ms. Mardens," I said.

" _You are welcome, Hunter. All I did was give the exam; everything else was you. Feel free to come down anytime to get your GED. Also, a parent or guardian can drop you out from high school as the GED is the equivalent of a high school diploma. Have a wonderful night, and I wish you luck on all of your future endeavors,"_ Leanna stated. There was a click, and I saw the call end, I put the phone down and honestly wanted to cry. I had done it! Gods, I was so happy because it meant that I could join the Archian Armed Forces' Army branch.

"I am proud of you, Hunter. You studied hard and achieved your goal. And you kept up your end of the deal we made, so I shall keep mine. Tomorrow, we'll start the joining process with going to the recruiter office," Sal told me as I hugged him. This was happening; I would be a member of the army soon. I was more than ready to move towards the future by becoming a soldier of Archi.

(June 3rd, 2016; 3:00 pm at the Military Entrance Processing Station)

My father was with me every step of the way through the joining process and hell, a few of the people knew him since he was in for thirty years before retiring. My Dad and I agreed not to do the dropping out of high school yet because it would draw too much attention to me joining the army so we settled on leaving it be until right before I would ship off to boot camp. The first thing we had to do was go to Berkton's military recruitment office and sign up, and we did this the Tuesday following me passing the GED. Right after the school day ended, Dad and I picked up my GED to bring with us to the office. We also made sure to get my medical history folder because Dad said it would help and all that information was current since it had to be updated when I started Freshman year.

The recruiter's office was a fun two hours of answering questions, filling out forms, doing some pushups, situps, and small half a mile run. It was just to show that I could do them properly which, thanks to Dad, I definitely could. The recruiter told us that he would send my application to join in and we would hear from the MEPS or Military Entrance Processing Station in a week at the latest. The man also mentioned that me having all my documentation with me helped out, and things in order like that make the joining process faster since no one wants to sit around and file through things. Understandable.

By Friday, the 27th of May, I got a phone call during lunch at school from a number I didn't recognize and not wanting to miss it, I stepped outside of the main doors to answer. It had been the MEPS telling me to report to the office in Archi to advance to the next stage of joining the army on Friday, June 3rd, 2016 at 9 am sharp. I told them I would be there and the call ended so I immediately texted my father to let him know. Of course, when I returned to lunch I got asked who called, and I just said it was Dad wanting to know if all my laundry was gathered up so he could do a load with his. Another lie but necessary to avoid arguments I didn't want to have with them.

The biggest problem was getting me out of school since MEPS, according to my Dad was going to be an all-day event. The only thing that worked was me going to school for 7 am, then during the second period which was 8 am, go to the nurse's office and play sick so Dad had picked me up and we drove the half hour to the city. MEPS was mainly standing around and waiting to be called, but it wasn't horrible wait times. From what I saw, they were grabbing people who had all of their paperwork together, and I did. Two of the biggest things I had to do was the ASVAB, which was something to measure the range of jobs I could do in the army. After that, it was the full physical and mental evaluations. When all that was done, I returned to an office for the results of my ASVAB test.

It turns out I did well on that too and qualified for a lot of things, but I chose the job I wanted. Infantryman, the soldier who fights on the front lines. That's what my Dad was, and I wanted to be like him, my father is my hero, and I look up to him a lot. Dad is someone I can go to for anything, and I know he'll find a way to help me, we had a very healthy relationship. After picking my job, the final step was signing my contract and swearing in, then getting my boot camp start date. This was probably the longest wait of them all because it was done with a group of others who were going active duty full time. The time now was 3:00 pm. Mom was working until 7 pm, and Caitlyn was at the playoff game until 9:30 pm, so I wasn't worried about them questioning why I'm not home, sick in bed.

"This is your last chance to change your mind, Hunter. Once you sign that contract and take the oath, you're in for as long as that contract says you agreed to," my father asked after some silence.

"If I were going to change my mind, I wouldn't have come this far. I want to do this," I replied to him.

"I'm proud of you son. You've wanted this since you were seven and it brings me such joy to watch you see it through, the things you've done and strides you took to get where you are right now," Sal mentioned calmly with a smile, and I returned it. It felt good to hear him tell me he was proud of my choices.

"Thanks, Dad. I would never have gotten this far without you, though," I informed. "It was you who let me take the GED test, you who helped with getting my documents together and going to the recruiter, and now here. You're the one who inspired me to join, I've always wanted to grow up to be like you, and now I get that chance because of you," I swear I thought my Dad was going to cry after I said that to him. My father leaned in and hugged me tightly, and I gave it right back as the door to the room opened, and we broke the hug.

"Active Duty Enlistees-Group A, make your way inside and line up at the table with your age marked on it," said the woman.

"Guess that's me," I said getting up from my position on the wall with a group of others who did the same. We had gotten separated into groups after picking our military job, mine was _A_ , and I was enlisting as an active duty soldier. I take it these others people had done the same.

"I'll be allowed you've all signed your contracts and prepare to swear in," my father smiles. I nodded and moved with the group into the room, then lined up at the table listed for sixteen-year-olds. I didn't see many in this line, perhaps thirty or so. The others line were for ages past sixteen and up to twenty-five. I was tenth in line, so hopefully, this wouldn't take super long to do.

(Half Hour Later)

I reached the table when the man said 'Next' and glanced at the clock. It was 3:45 pm already but at least I was about to sign my contract. "Name and branch you're enlisting in?" he asked.

"Hunter Haddock, Army, sir," I stated respectfully. Filing through some folders, he pulled one out with my name on it and opened it up as I saw all the things I had filled out and signed since the day at the recruiter's office two weeks ago. The man in a formal uniform pulled a piece of paper from a pile on his left and slid it towards me. I scanned over it quickly; it basically said that I agree to serve the standard time for a first time enlisting soldier on active duty unless I got discharged beforehand. Also that if conflicts are needing me past my contract time, the army had the right to hold me longer and I was totally fine with that.

The man handed me a black pen, and I signed the bottom with my name then dated it June 3rd, 2016. The paper was taken off the table and placed at the top of my folder then put it in a bin at his feet. "Move to the next room through that door on your right for swearing in," I nodded to him and did as I was told. Going through the door, I saw my Dad standing with other parents as I gave him a thumbs up and stood with the other sixteen-year-olds who had been in front of me. Twenty more minutes had passed before an officer stepped in front of us.

"Army enlistees, step forward and raise your right hand to take the oath of the Archi Armed Forces," the male ordered as anyone who enlisted for the army branch made their way forward, myself included. We all raised our right hands up, "Repeat after me," he said then gave us the oath to take.

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend Archi Island against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." all of us repeated.

"Welcome to the Archi Island Army of the Archian Armed Forces boys and girls. Make your way out to the main room you were in before contract signing, and you will receive your shipping orders for Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. Some of you may end up being in the same place for both, depends on your job. I know you'll do our home proud, best of luck to you all! Dismissed!" the officer told us as we filed out of the room to find yet another table to wait at but at least there were ten people to hand out envelopes to us newly sworn in enlisted soldiers.

It was nearing 4:30 pm by the time I got to the table. "Name, age, and job selected?" I was asked by the woman I stood before.

"Hunter Haddock, sixteen, and Infantryman," I replied to her as she looked through a box labeled _H_ then a tabbed section reading _16_. After another moment or two, she pulled out an envelope to check the name before handing it to me and calling 'next' so I took that as my signal to get out of the way. I reached my father who was waiting for me while holding the envelope.

"So, when does my boy ship out for boot camp?" Sal asked.

I chuckled a bit feeling him put his arm around me, yes, he was very proud and excited over this. "Let's get to the car first; I've so had enough of this place for the rest of my life,"

"I do believe I said the same thing," Sal laughed some as we moved to the car and climbed in. I sat front seat with my belt on holding the envelope in my hands. Finally, I turned it over and lifted the back flap that was taped down and pulled out the tri-folded piece of paper then began to skim it over for the information I wanted.

"Wednesday, June 15th, 2016 for Reception Battalion. I need to be at the Berkton bus station by 6 am, we're going to Fort Riddari for four to five days, then on to Fort Draco for BCT that lasts nine weeks, and remaining there through AIT which is another four weeks. Says at the bottom that after graduation from boot camp, we'll get our next orders," I informed my Dad. "Looks like I'll be gone for a total of at least fifteen weeks. There's a week pause between BCT and AIT,"

"Isn't...the 14th yours and Audrey's one year of dating?" he asked as I nodded to him. "What are you going to tell everyone when they ask what you're doing all summer?"

"I...haven't figured that out yet, I'll think of something. Don't tell Mom or Caitlyn yet either. Let's get home, it's nearly 5 pm, and I desperately need a nap and make it look like I'm sick," I mentioned.

"Aye son," Sal replied and started the car as we began the half hour drive back home. I sat back in my seat with the paper in my lap, eyes closed. So, in twelve days not including this one since it was almost over, I would be leaving to start boot camp. Today was successful; it had been long and tiring but worth it because now I was officially in.


	3. Shipping Out

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Shipping Out

Freshman year was finally over! Today was Saturday, June 11th, 2016 and their summer had begun yesterday. In three days on Tuesday, Hunter and Audrey would celebrate their one year mark since they became a couple. And then, the next day after that, Hunter was leaving for Fort Riddari to begin Reception Battalion. Hunter had spoken to his father about what it would be like; Hunter wasn't worried. Salvatore explained that Reception Week was mainly what he did at MEPS only on a tighter schedule. Hunter guessed that meant a lot of waiting in lines to be called, signing forms, and preparing for Basic. Sal also mentioned it would be where he got his uniforms, physical training clothes, and likely a hair cut if the officers there felt Hunter's would be in his way. Hunter currently had a full head of auburn hair that was somewhat straight but fanned out towards the ends; his bangs flowed off to the right side.

Hunter didn't mind, his father talked about the fact they could have different style cuts as long as it was kept neat and short, and being cleanly shaven with proper personal hygiene was a must for all soldiers. Hunter was all right with that, he showered and used deodorant daily, though, the shaving part he might not have to worry about since he didn't have any facial hair-it was very light and barely noticeable if he did but it wasn't enough that required need to shave. Less work for him he supposed. Sal told Hunter he would be just fine as long as he wasn't disrespectful, listened carefully, and spoke when spoken to. Oh, and Hunter was told explicitly never to make his drill sergeant repeat his or herself because it would be a bad time.

Hunter still hadn't told anyone about what he had done, getting his GED and joining the army. Hunter knew his mother, sister, and Audrey would not be okay with it. All of them, friends included knew that Hunter wanted to join the army after high school and wasn't changing his career path simply because they didn't want him too. Hunter said he would enlist after high school and having his GED meant he passed all grades; kindergarten through twelfth, which meant he finished education. Technically, he still carried out his plans but earlier than expected and behind their backs which could make things worse, but Hunter couldn't back out because he was under contract and well, he didn't want to back out. Hunter wanted this life, and no one was going to stop him.

With Freshman year over, Sal stopped by the school yesterday to sign the forms to drop Hunter out under the pretenses that he had his GED and no longer needed high school since he took a test that required all fours of knowledge to pass and Hunter did with all A's. Hunter got his final grades on Monday; he passed with all A's on his report card of course. Different classes on various days were throwing parties or having a movie day. After school time, Hunter would spend time with Audrey and his friends who he wouldn't see all summer or at the start of their Sophomore year because he would be in AIT by then. One of the more fun events that Hunter attended was the last game of the year on Thursday; the Berk Vikings won the championship!

Friday night, the last one of Freshman year, Hunter used some of his saved cash from weekly allowances to take Audrey out to the movies and dinner. After that, they spent some time outside her house and making out in Hunter's truck until she got a text message from her parents saying they would be home in ten minutes, so they had to stop for the night. It was okay because today was the end of the year party, everyone getting together to celebrate them being done with ninth grade. Unfortunately, Hunter was stuck celebrating it with Eddie and Drew along with his friends, sister, and girlfriend. The party was being held at the park; Thor's Edge. This was a place with picnic tables, a gazebo, small beach front, and swimming lake that got roped off at nine feet deep for safety.

Today was going to be great and probably one of the last times that Hunter would get to see all his friends and family in once place. Even being that Eddie and Drew weren't his friends, they were only coming because Drew was Heather's older brother and Caitlyn had a crush on Eddie but she was four years younger than him so that wasn't happening so he was just invited as a friend. Everyone was meeting at 11:00 am to set up the gazebo which they had pulled their money together to rent for a few hours, it was right on the beach area and lake with a grill to use for cooking. Hunter couldn't wait to have a good day; he was celebrating being done with high school and joining the army.

(Thor's Edge)

Hunter arrived with Shane, Caitlyn, and Audrey in his truck. Drew drove Fisher and Heather in. Eddie at Caitlyn's request picked up Renee and Travis. Salvatore and Viola arrived in their car. Everyone was responsible for bringing something to contribute to the party. Hunter brought the entertainment of his battery operated CD player which had a jack for an AUX cord so he could hook up his phone and play the music that way. Caitlyn had to bring the table cloths and clips to hold them down. Shane was in charge of drinks. Audrey had the hot dog and hamburger buns. Sal and Viola were bringing the hot dogs and hamburgers. Everyone else was bringing some side dish or chips to enjoy. Of course, everyone was in charge of bringing their towel, bathing suit, and sunscreen with them.

For once, everyone worked together to get things set up and took turns getting dressed at the restrooms. After all that, the time was closer to noon with Sal firing up the grill to cook on. Hunter was relaxing at the picnic table looking around at everyone, though, not paying much attention to Drew and Eddie. It was good to see everyone so happy, ready to enjoy their summer and he would be spending his at Fort Draco for thirteen weeks to train or as his Dad called it, going from civilian to soldier.

"It's such a beautiful day," Caitlyn sighed out contently while laying on a blanket in the grass with Eddie sitting on it too.

"It's hot, we should go swimming while waiting for the food to be done," Drew suggested.

"I'm down," Shane said with Travis and Renee nodding to agree.

"Go on then. I need to locate my lighter anyway to get the grill going," Sal muttered as Hunter chuckled a bit and went into his bag then pulled out a silver Zippo lighter and returned walked next to his father holding it out to him.

"Here, Dad," Hunter offered.

"Where did you get a lighter?" Sal inquired arching a brow.

"Uh, you did, Dad. Back in February when I turned sixteen. Wasn't it you who told me always to be prepared for anything?" Hunter replied with a smile.

"Oh, right! I did. Well done, son. Go have fun; we'll call when it's ready," Sal patted his back and gave a one-armed hug to Hunter who nodded then stepped away to get his towel and head for the water with the others that were doing the same. Thankfully, today was a quiet day, and not many people were at Thor's Edge. The left and right of the swimming area were lined by a dock, and then a rope ran across the two docks to block off anything after nine feet. Hunter walked the dock down to the end, dropped his towel, and jumped right in.

"It's cold," Renee mentioned after sticking her foot in. Hunter surfaced with a smile, "Aren't you cold?" she asked him.

"It's always cold if you go in slow, that's why I jumped. Feels nice," Hunter shrugged. "Come on, babe," he looked at Audrey.

"You know I can't swim in the nine foot, Hunter," Audrey mumbled with her arms over her chest.

"Then you can hold on to me. I won't let you drown, Milady," Hunter smiled as Audrey stepped towards the edge and jumped in closer to him, when she came up after kicking off the bottom, Hunter put an arm around her waist so she would stay above water. Audrey giggled wrapping her legs around his waist and hands on his shoulders, Hunter leaned in and kissed her gently as Audrey returned it. Not long after that, everyone else was in too and began having a good time.

(Thirty Minutes Later)

Viola called for them to come out because lunch was ready so they used the ladder on the right side of the dock and climbed out, each grabbing their towel when they did. The small group returned to their area and dried off the best they could before Sal brought over the tray holding the burgers and hot dogs. Everyone grabbed a plate and went buffet style around the extra table to get what they wanted. Once everyone was seated and eating, Sal handed Hunter his lighter back with another thank you. After that, they all enjoyed their food while talking about how Freshman year had been.

Fifteen minutes into the discussion, "So what is everyone's plan for summer?" Viola inquired with a light smile.

"I plan to get a summer job," Fisher replied.

"I'll be returning to full-time status until school starts again," Drew said.

"I'll be looking for a job," Eddie mentioned, "And summer school to make up Algebra,"

"Helping Mom around the house or yard," Travis and Renee said together.

"Not sure yet," Heather shrugged, "But I do have to take the summer school course for Language Arts," she added with a sigh. "How about you, Caitlyn?"

"No idea. Maybe summer camp or something, for now, I'm just going to relax," Caitlyn answered, then eyes fell on Audrey.

"Working with my uncle in his diner, bussing tables from 10 am to 3 pm three days a week. The rest of the time, I have no idea. What's your plan, babe?" Audrey inquired. Sal looked at Hunter now wondering what he was going to tell them. Hunter was quiet a moment while thinking about what he could say. Tell them the truth or make something up? Them knowing would open the door to being yelled at or asked questions that he didn't want to deal with right before he left. Hunter needed all his focus on the next fifteen weeks. One week for Reception, nine for Basic, there was a week break between Basic and Advanced while others moved on to other places for their AIT, but Hunter was staying at Fort Draco for another four weeks.

"Summer camp as I've already signed up and registered. I leave Wednesday at 6 am from the Berkton bus station," Hunter said calmly as they looked at him.

"Camps don't start registering until July, how did you get in one already?" Heather blinked.

"It's AJROTC, they open registration at the start of June," Hunter replied.

"AJR-what?" Eddie asked.

"AJROTC stands for Army Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps," Hunter said as they arched a questioning brow at him and he sighed. "It's a program for high school students who are interested in or plan to join the Archi Armed Forces after they complete their education and receive a diploma. The program teaches military history, protocol, and physical fitness. It's a look into what boot camp would be and helps prepare someone for the army life," he explained.

Viola sighed heavily while closing her eyes. "Still pursuing that, are you?"

Hunter had a sarcastic remark prepared, but he wouldn't say it but this is why he wasn't telling them that he was going to Basic on Wednesday, he could only imagine their reaction to knowing he _did_ join the army. The only reason Hunter wasn't saying anything was that he didn't want any negativity before he left, he wanted to go into this with a clear head. "There's nothing wrong with a military career, Vi," Sal mentioned.

"You were in the military when I met you, Sal. Hunter's just a young boy, he doesn't need to go out and join the army when there is so much more he can do," Viola remarked then turned to Hunter again. "Please reconsider, Hunter? You're only sixteen; you've been pining for this for eight years now, there's time to plan your future. Perhaps a less dangerous career choice?"

"Mother, don't start again. Dad joined when he was eighteen and was in for thirty years, before retiring at forty-eight with the rank of Second Lieutenant. The motto of the AI Army is; Be All You Can Be. You want me to do more with my life; the army is looking like the best place to go for that. I don't see why you're so against it," Hunter retorted.

Viola frowned. "You aren't joining, Hunter and that is final," she added firmly.

"I'm so sick and tired of having this argument with you. I'm gonna be in the army because it's the career I want and the life I choose to live. Unfortunately for you, Mother dearest, you can't stop me. Gods, why can't you be like Dad and just support my choices!" Hunter glared angrily before getting up from the table, grabbing his bag from the ground and walking off. The table was quiet; it wasn't like Hunter to get so angry.

"I didn't mean to upset him," Viola mumbled.

"But he is right, Vi," Salvatore stated as she looked at him, then the group of teenagers did too. "Hunter has wanted to join the army since he was eight and his choice has never changed. Hunter wants to be and do more by serving his home, and you can't stop him," he reminded.

Viola looked down. "I just don't want to see him get hurt or killed, Sal. Is that so wrong of me to want to protect my only son?"

"No, it's not wrong of you to want that, and I understand your side of this because I want to do the same. I worry what could happen to him, that I might lose my son on a deployment and have to lay him to rest. Our children are supposed to bury us, not the other way around, and it's something I never hope to face. However, Hunter is not a baby or a child that needs protecting. He's sixteen and becoming a man; it's not your job to protect him anymore," Sal informed.

"Why is he mad at his mom for caring about him?" Drew asked.

"Hunter isn't mad that she cares, he's mad that she won't support his decision. Hunter wants to do something great with his life, and there is nothing more significant that than a soldier who guards our way of life, defends our home, and protects the people he cares about. Soldiers know the cost of fighting in a war, and all soldiers are willing to pay the ultimate price with their life for peace and freedom. Hunter is my son and if he wants to be a soldier, then not only am I proud of him, but I will stand behind and support him too." Sal sighed softly.

"I'll go talk to him," Audrey said.

"Leave him be to calm down, Audrey. When Hunter is upset or angry, he likes to be left alone. He'll come back when he's ready," Shane mentioned. Deciding to leave Hunter alone for a bit, the rest of them finished their food rather quietly but engaged it a little conversation about whatever came to mind. However, after half an hour of waiting for Hunter to come back, Sal checked around and found Hunter's truck out of the parking lot. Sighing, he returned to the others.

"I take it he doesn't want to talk?" Caitlyn asked.

"Wouldn't know. I didn't find him, his truck is gone," Salvatore informed as he pulled out his phone and dialed Hunter's cell then held it away a bit as they heard the call pick up after three rings.

" _Yeah, Dad?"_ Hunter said after a moment.

"Hunter, where did you go, son?" Sal inquired.

" _Going home. I thought coming out to celebrate the start of summer was a good idea, but I guess I was wrong, and I'm not gonna sit around and continue to be told more of the same. Sorry, Dad. I hope you can see now why I just wanted to leave for camp and not tell anyone; because I didn't want all the disapproving, unsupportive looks I got."_ Hunter remarked.

"Please don't go home. No one else will say anything," Sal tried.

" _The point is that she already said something and the reason nobody else did is that she said what they were likely thinking. I'm not gonna come back. You guys have fun, I got packing to do anyway since I'm going to be gone for two months. I gotta go, there are cops around, and I'm not using my headset. See you later, love ya, bye."_ After that, the call dropped, and Salvatore looked at Viola then he closed his eyes and put his phone away.

"I hurt him, didn't I?" Viola asked.

"Yes, you did because you're making him feel like he isn't good enough, that what he wants to do is wrong. Is it wrong for others do it? Become a soldier who defends their family? Their town? Their island from people who want to take our way of life, our freedom? Is it wrong for them?" Sal questioned.

"No," Viola looked down.

"Then why is it so wrong for Hunter to join them? Why is it wrong for Hunter to become a soldier if it's not wrong for anyone else to do it? Soldiers do what they do to help others and fight for a better, safer future. Those soldiers fight every day so we can always have a tomorrow to wake up to. That's all Hunter wants to do, Vi. Protect his home," Salvatore informed. It remained quiet for a bit, but since Hunter had left, it wasn't much fun for anyone else, so they all packed up and left. Audrey, Shane, and Caitlyn rode with Sal and Viola, and the others left with whoever they came in with.

(Wednesday; June 15th, 2016)

After Saturday, Hunter spent the remainder of that day and Sunday ignoring his mother. Salvatore talked to him once or twice, but Hunter refused to speak to or see her because it would only start another fight and he didn't want that. On Monday, Hunter and Sal made sure everything was ready for Wednesday with Hunter all packed up and had whatever he needed for Reception Week and then he spent the remainder with Audrey. Tuesday was their one year anniversary of dating, so they enjoyed the day together. The two went mini golfing, boat ride, lunch at her favorite place, then a movie. Hunter and Audrey ended the night with an intense make-out session until Hunter left her house around 10:30 pm so he could get a full night's rest before the bus trip to Fort Riddari.

That trip was now. It was 5:30 am, Wednesday morning as Salvatore and Hunter stood in the bus station after checking in and finding where his bus was, not that it was hard to locate the arrival and departure board and find the bus leaving for Fort Riddari at 6 am. Hunter saw a few people he had been standing in line with before taking the oath, so it was nice to see familiar faces even if he didn't know them. Viola and Caitlyn were at home; Sal made mention to them that Hunter didn't want them coming because he was still mad.

"Don't worry about your mother and sister, Hunter. They'll come around," Salvatore patted Hunter's back.

"Not worried. I chose this; they can be mad if they want. I'm not sure how often I'll get to call, so I'm sorry if you don't hear from me for extended periods," Hunter told him.

"I know where you are, what you're doing, and that you're safe. That's enough for me, son. I'm sure we'll get to see you before you get your next orders, they usually give a few days to a week so soldiers can see their families," Salvatore said calmly with a smile.

"I just hope I do okay," Hunter shrugged a bit.

"You're a Haddock, Hunter. We always make it through on top; you just gotta remember why you're doing it and push yourself past your limits, so nothing will ever hold you back. I'm rooting for ya," Sal encouraged.

"Thanks, Dad. I won't let you down just as you've never let me down," Hunter replied with a smile.

"Infantry recruits going to Fort Riddari! If you're between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, make your way to bus number five!" yelled a man in uniform.

"Well, that's me. I'll call you when I can," Hunter said looking at his father. Salvatore pulled him into a tight embrace before pulling away with his hands on Hunter's shoulders.

"I love you son, and I can't wait to see you again. Good luck and do your best but know that I am always proud of you for what you're doing," Salvatore said trying not to get emotional knowing his son was leaving a civilian and returning as a soldier of the Archi Island Army.

"That means a lot to me. I love ya too, Dad and thank you for everything," Hunter smiled as Sal stepped back and put his bag over his shoulder while walking farther away to get in line with the other recruits who were loading on the bus. Sal stayed to watch when Hunter got on; he even took a few pictures. Sal figured they would make a lovely scrapbook eventually. When the recruits were all on, the soldier in uniform got on as well and the door shut. Fifteen more minutes passed during a roll call before the bus pulled away from the station and was gone by 6:15 am. This was it for Hunter, shipping out to start his military career.


	4. Extended Invitation

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Extended Invitation

~Hunter's POV~

It turns out that Fort Riddari is in the city, from Berkton, the total travel time as about forty-five minutes. Boy, Dad was not kidding when he said that as soon as you step off the bus things happen quickly. Not more than five seconds after the bus parked, we had the drill sergeants screaming at us to get off the bus and move it to the building. I remembered what my Dad told me; just keep my mouth shut and do as I'm told, only speak when spoken too. If I had to take a guess, there were about two hundred people lined up in the central building. After lining up, it was endless loads of paperwork and waiting around like at MEPS. I was eternally grateful they had us line up according to age and our service job, so mine was sixteen and infantry. My group of people only had twenty to thirty people, so we filed through quickly.

It was everything Dad said it would be. Our bags we brought from home were taken to the barrack we would be in, we were lined up for shots, haircuts, and receiving all our uniforms and other gear. This took a few hours to complete and after that we were instructed to take everything out of our large bags so the officers could make sure we had everything we needed. Each day at Reception Battalion was something different and long to get through. Everyone had to adjust to getting yelled at, fast meal times, getting up at 5 am and being in bed by 9 pm. Wasn't hard for me, I was used to being up that early and in bed by 10:30-11 pm, so an earlier sleep time didn't bother me in the slightest.

Reception week was mainly to prepare us for Basic; it's also where we set up our military personnel files, paychecks, and all the legal aspects. It all lasted four days and the on that fourth day, we received our dog tags and told to make sure we had everything ready to leave on another bus for Fort Draco, or at least that's where I was going. My tags read;

 **HADDOCK, HUNTER  
** **025/67/3814  
** **AAF-A  
** **O NEG  
** **NEOPAGAN**

Yep. My name, social, that I work for the army of the Acrhian Armed Forces, my blood type, and religion. All things to identify me if I should get wounded or die on the battlefield. I got maybe three minutes to call home and talk to Dad and let him know that reception was over and we were leaving for Fort Draco, he reminded me that he was proud of me and to check in the next time I could. I managed a text to Mom, Caitlyn, Audrey, and all my friends letting them know that I was okay and loving camp so far. I said I missed them and then powered off my phone to get on the bus again.

(Fort Draco)

Every recruit who arrived here nine weeks ago was here to be trained as a soldier. Maybe not everyone as infantry but we all came here for Basic. As the buses unloaded all the soldiers-to-be, we were separated into companies by age. Each group held recruits between the ages of sixteen to twenty-five. With all that done, there were four companies total containing ninety-six recruits per. If I did my math right, that meant there were three hundred and eighty-four people about to be trained in BCT. Once with a company, mine was named Plasma Fire with Major Harry Andersen as the commanding officer, we were taken to our barracks; ours was. Each group broke down into platoons that held twenty-four recruits each and then broke down again to squadrons of twelve each.

My platoon was under the command of Second Lieutenant Asher Holgerson with the adopted name of Alpha Hooligan Platoon. Our platoon was made up of four, twelve soldier squadrons. I was on Striker One with Sergeant First Class Richard Grimborn as the drill sergeant and fun turn of events that his younger brother, Staff Sergeant Victor Grimborn is the drill sergeant for Striker Two. There were four platoons that made up Plasma Fire company. Alpha Hooligan, Bravo Berserker, Charlie Conqueror, and Delta Nightmare platoons so there were eight squads between the four platoons. I thought it was cool; Asher told us we would only ever need to worry about was our platoon though. I guess if we got deployed at all, we would go as a company but remain in our platoons for barracks and what not.

So, reaching our barracks, the company split up into their platoons to take up the four barracks used they were only big enough to hold no more than twenty people each, and each platoon had twenty-four, so it worked out nicely. Alpha Hooligan used up barracks A-One and A-Two. The first thing we were instructed to do was pick a battle buddy. The requirements were to choose the same gender and someone who you could get along with for the remainder of training and drill weekends, this person was becoming your new best friend, and if one of you failed, both got punished.

I paired up with someone I had seen at MEPS, the bus station, and Reception Battalion who I talked to a little bit when we had the time. His name is Treyden Fury, sixteen like myself and joined to get away from his annoying family. I slept top bunk, and Treyden took the bottom, we were two of the first pairs to get our beds made and personal items put away. Next to us was another set of battle buddies; Theodore Vollan and Andrew Kingston. Theodore insisted we call him Theo because he hated using his full name, which was all right with us. Can you believe that all that happened on day one of being at Fort Draco? Yeah, crazy right?

Thankfully, we didn't start training until the next day. The rest of the first day there was spent getting a tour, learning how every day would go, and shockingly, getting to know one another. We sat in the grass going around the circle of Striker One to give names, age, and why we decided to join. I learned in that activity that Theo was seventeen with black hair-crew cut style and brown eyes; he joined because he wanted to help people. Andrew was sixteen, going on seventeen in August. Andrew had medium brown hair, almost entirely shaved with honey brown eyes and he joined because he was following in his father's footsteps like me.

Others in our squad were Conner Hayes; eighteen, Nikolas Manning; nineteen, Jay Michaels; seventeen, Zander Radco; sixteen-little younger than me. For the girls, there are Elizabeth Campbell; sixteen, Danielle Greenhalgh; eighteen, Amanda Christy; seventeen, and Amber Young; seventeen. A-One barrack held the males of Striker One and Two while A-Two barrack held the females of Striker One and Two, there was no cohabitation between genders when it came to sleeping arrangements. During dinner we had to sit according to platoon, I noticed that this is how they kept track of us. Clever way to do it too. So during dinner, we continued to talk about our lives and get to know one another since we would all be together from now on as infantrymen and women, might as well get to know the team.

The next nine weeks sucked. So Basic was divided into three phases. Black, Silver, and Red. AIT was Green and White, the two phases for the four weeks of Advanced Training we'd get in a week or so I was told. Black phase is mainly classroom training; learning history, laws, commands, protocol, marching, physical training every morning, and more. There was also an end of the phase test which was horrible and I was glad to be able to go to sleep that night after it was over. I passed though, so cool for that. Apparently, I have one of the highest times in physical training, and I've come to learn that I'm stronger than I thought I was. So Black phase lasted three weeks total, and then we moved to the next one.

Silver phase was two weeks of weapons training; learning the types, how to maintain, assemble, disassemble, load, aim, and fire. It was interesting, to say the least. We spent the better half of those fourteen days learning and practicing, the last two or so day was the end of phase test and our marksmanship qualifier. This meant we got tested on how good we could shoot and it was graded in three levels; Expert, Sharpshooter, Marksman. I made Expert because I'm fast and exceptionally accurate with several types of guns and grenades. Treyden, Theo, and Andrew also made Expert, and maybe four others did too, but the rest were between Sharpshooter and Marksman. Silver phase wasn't bad, just exhausting and loud. At that point in training, the month was July, and we only had three weeks left.

Now here we are in August and the end of three long weeks of working in different types of weather, mission scenarios, terrain changes, obstacle courses, and so much more. Our last exercise was two days in the woods under a war situation where the drill sergeants had a blast acting as enemies to try and take us down. The field training exercise is where I found out that it was our end of phase test and that I was a damn good leader, those were Major Holgerson's exact words. Why? He never told me why he thought that, but I suppose I should take the compliment and be proud of it? It might have had something to do with the fact that when we got pinned down with enemies closing in, I came up with a genius idea to split the platoon into four man or woman teams and break apart so the officers couldn't track us as a large group.

It had been an idea. I never expected it to work and give us the advantage to capture drill sergeants Richard and Victor as 'targets' and drag them out of the woods. We acted as if we were on an infiltration mission to capture targets when the original task was to just escape without being hit by a gun-fake mind you, they were red paintballs, and if you got hit, you had to treat it as if it were a real wound or radio for medevac. It was an exercise to see how we did without being instructed-us running a mission on our own and we did amazing I guess, that's why I figured Asher complimented.

Another thing of this past week was working on our graduation ceremony marching and making sure our uniforms were ready for the event. We would march out in ACU and beret for the first half for the service and then in our class B for the second half which was the family day. I had no idea that was a thing; it meant Dad could come to the base to see me graduate and then hang out for a bit. The problem was that fell on a Sunday when Dad would never be able to get away from the house without Mom and Caitlyn wondering where he was going. So this was my dilemma now because if I had to tell them, then I might as well tell them all. Wouldn't this be so much fun and I fully expected to be scolded and yet, I didn't care as much as I used to because there was nothing they could do to change it now.

So yeah, that's been my last nine weeks and said graduation was soon because today is Friday, so I better call Dad tonight and let him know. I wasn't sure if he already knew or not but I had access to my phone finally, and I'm sure he'd like a check in. Over the last nine weeks, we only got to use our phones to call home during Personal Time at the end of each phase, so that sucked. Right now, we were all sitting down dinner and thankful that too.

"Can you believe we're graduating tomorrow! Gods, these past nine weeks flew by!" Amber from Striker One squealed with delight.

"Speak for yourself, those two days in the woods sucked," Conner retorted with a huff.

"Hey, we survived didn't, we?" Jay mentioned.

"Only because Haddock came up with that plan to break off give them several targets instead of one big one, plus being smaller made it harder for them to find us," Theo reminded.

"Oh, come on guys. I didn't do anything special, when you're pinned down as a large group of enemies around you don't move in bulk, you get smaller and hide easier," I stated. My squad had been going on about what I did since Thursday when the training scenario ended. Even drill sergeants Richard and Victor had congratulated me on a job well done. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes; I honestly didn't have much of an appetite right now.

"You okay, Hunter?" I heard Treyden ask me.

"Yeah, I'm okay. A bit tired I suppose," I replied. Tomorrow would be our last graduation ceremony practice, and things apparently have changed from what we got told first. Saturday was the family day; we would march out in ACU and get introduced to the relatives or friends, then could spend the day with them until 8 pm. Sunday was now graduation day, where families would be allowed back. We would march out in our class B's, after that, we could spend a little more time with loved ones before others who weren't staying for infantry training which was the AIT portion, four more weeks of training and then we'd get our station assignments.

I didn't end up eating much through dinner, half my chicken and a few bites of potatoes and corn but then pushed the tray forward and put my head down on my arms. I had a lot on my mind; I'd be lying to say I wasn't nervous to call my father and have him invite Mom, Caitlyn, Audrey, Shane, and my friends to Fort Draco for family day and graduation. It would mean they learn that I wasn't doing AJROTC summer camp, that I joined the AAF-AI Army on active duty. When dinner was over at 7 pm, we were released back to our barracks to relax a little and make phone calls home to see who was coming tomorrow.

I pulled my phone out and stepped outside the barrack while pulling up Dad's contact then press the call button, I placed it to my ear and waited through the rings. After three, he answered with, _"Hunter, so happy you called. How goes camp, your mother and sister would like to know?"_ This meant I was on speakerphone. Great.

"It's fine, Dad. Working hard as always, tired tonight so I might turn in early, but I thought I'd call and let you know that tomorrow is a family day and Sunday is graduation from the program. You don't have to come, just thought I'd let you know," I said calmly.

" _We'll absolutely come, Hunter!"_ That was Caitlyn's happy voice, couldn't blame her I suppose. We hadn't seen one another in two months, and she wouldn't likely see me again until I was allowed to go back home until having to report to drill or however it was going to work. _"What time is it at?"_

"Officers urge families to arrive at 9 am for the reveal ceremony at 10 am, then you'll be allowed out of the stands to see me until 2000 hours, sorry, 8 pm," I replied dryly. "For graduation on Sunday, ceremony at 11 am then you can stay through until 7 pm."

"That sounds wonderful, son. I can't wait to see you again," Salvatore said with a joyous smile in his voice. "Are the stands labeled according to which group you're in, we want to get a good view," he inquired.

"Yeah, I'll text it to you in a bit, Dad. Oh, and you can invite Shane, Audrey, Fisher, Heather, Renee, and Travis too. I guess Eddie and Drew as well," I sighed.

" _Your sister is messaging them now to ask. Are you all right, Hunter? You don't sound like yourself tonight,"_ my mother asked.

"I'm all right, Mom. Little tired, it's been a busy week," Hunter replied with a yawn.

" _Go get some sleep, son and we'll see ya tomorrow. Caitlyn got responses from Shane, Audrey, Fisher, and Heather. I'll have Audrey and Shane with me. I take it that when driving in, there will be parking attendants?"_ Sal wondered.

"Mmhm. Come to the main gate; there will be someone there to park the car for you and then just follow everyone else into the stands. You likely won't hear from me until tomorrow when you see me. Phones have to be off at 9 pm, so it's goodnight I guess?" I said.

" _That's okay, Hunter. We're glad you're okay, and we'll see you tomorrow morning,"_ Sal crooned. _"I love you, son,"_

"Love you too, Dad," I replied and hung up before Caitlyn or Mom could say anything. I sent a quick message to Audrey telling her I was exhausted and would see her tomorrow, that I loved her and wished her sweet dreams. After that, I send Dad a text with the information he had asked for: ~ _4 companies total. I'll be in Plasma Fire company, Alpha Hooligan platoon. We'll be center-left of podium. C ya 2marrow. -Hunter~_ I powered down my phone, used the bathroom, changed into my sleepwear, then got on my bed and knocked out fifteen minutes later. I was going to tell them, rather show the truth. I extended the invitation; the rest was up to them.


	5. All The Way

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

All The Way

(Fort Draco)

Hunter woke up at 5 am as always when the barrack lights flipped on, it took him a few minutes to get down from the top bunk and get his things to start the morning such as towel and clothes to dress in. The soldiers would be helping preparing everything for the ceremony, each company in a different area to handle something else. Plasma Fire group was on making sure the stands and field were ready for guests by marking the spots where each company would be. By the time all that got done after breakfast, it was time for the soldiers to get dressing in their ACU's and meet up in the forest to be told one more time how things were going to go at 10 am. Hunter didn't care so much about that, he wanted to see everyone's reaction when they saw him standing with the others. It would not be hard to distinguish that he wasn't in AJROTC dress but rather a full soldier uniform.

The time ticked away to 9:35 am as the soldiers began lining up as they were meant to do. Companies staying together but in four sections which represented the four platoons.

"Private Haddock," Major Andersen called as Hunter saw him coming over so he stood straight and offered a salute to his company leader. "At ease. When you march out, you will carry the flag for Plasma Fire with Richard and Victor on either side of you,"

"Yes sir," Hunter replied firmly as Harry handed him the flag and Hunter kept it at his side while changing his place in the line to in between Richard and Victor in front of Alpha Hooligan. It was 9:40 am now, only twenty minutes left and with him in his new spot, his family would get a good view of him for sure. So now it was was the company marching out but separated into the four platoons that made it up and I was standing center of all four that created Plasma Fire.

(With Hunter's Family+Friends)

"That traffic was horrid," Caitlyn mumbled while they all filed together after their cars were taken to be parked. "Where do we go now? It starts in fifteen minutes,"

"Hunter said to follow the others walking in," Viola reminded. Without much more discussion, they followed the other late arrivals into the base and saw the stands which thankfully still had openings right up front in the section Hunter said he would be standing across from. Getting closer, Sal was able to see that Hunter marked it off for them. As they sat down and got comfortable the looked ahead to the forest entrance. Salvatore found it rather amusing that no one else put it together yet.

(10 am)

Salvatore had the video camera ready to go when the clock struck ten in the morning, he couldn't wait for this. Then across the field smoke bombs went off in different colors and Sal started the camera to record. Next, it was music playing on the speakers and people cheering when they saw four large groups split into four sections each of soldiers marching out in sync with just the music, no lyrics. "We Are Soldiers." Sal remembered it, it was one of Hunter's favorites.

"How are we supposed to find Hunter in all that? There's gotta be at least four hundred people wearing the same thing," Viola asked trying to locate her son. As the groups neared the stands, Shane spotted him and pointed quickly.

"Got him! Hunter is carrying the company flag between those two guys!" Shane announced as they got up quickly to get a better look.

"Hunter looks so different! Did he cut his hair?" Audrey mentioned while using her phone to zoom in and get a closer look. After ten minutes, possibly more, the marching stopped, and all the soldiers stood in position. The music cut as a man amounted to the podium.

"On behalf of the Archian Armed Forces, we would like to welcome you to Fort Draco Military Base for Family Day. Now before I release you all to greet them after a long ten weeks of being separated, I want you to take a good long look at them. Remember how they were when they started here as citizens and see them standing in front of you as soldiers of the Archi Island Army," the man stated, and this is when Hunter's group realized that this wasn't the reserve officer training corps that Hunter told them he was doing all summer. This was _THE_ army, the one Hunter kept going on about wanting to join, and here he was.

"These brave men and women have trained hard for nine consecutive weeks through rain or shine, and we hope that you are as proud of them as we are," The crowd began cheering for them, and the soldier remained still with no expression on their faces, "Now. Today is a family day, so you are permitted to make your way down from the stands to greet your soldier. They will take you to their barrack, show you around, talk about how things have been. There will be lunch and dinner served in the chow hall. However, you must give the soldiers back at 8 pm as they have a busy day tomorrow when they graduate from Basic Combat Training and all of you are welcome back to witness that moment as well," the man smiled happily. "You may now calmly and slowly leave the stands," he added.

At that moment, Hunter's group hurried as quickly as they could without causing trouble or getting yelled at for running when they were told to move slow. Getting down onto the field, Hunter's company leader was walking towards him, so they stayed quiet knowing that he did have a code of conduct to adhere to right now.

"Well done, Private Haddock. I'll take the flag now so you can have time with your family, looks like quite the group," Harry chuckled some as Hunter handed him the flag then stood straight and offered a firm salute to him, Harry returned it then walked off smiling. Hunter faced his family, friends, extras, and girlfriend silently, he wasn't sure what to say.

"So, this is not...reserve camp or whatever you called it two months ago," Drew mentioned first.

"No, it is not," Hunter replied. Salvatore was first to pull Hunter in for a tight hug, and Hunter relaxed and gave it back to him before they pulled away, and Sal smiled.

"Look at you, son! It's hard to think ten weeks turned you into, my little soldier man," Sal beamed. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Dad. Wasn't easy but made it through, just like you said," Hunter gave a slight smile now.

"I don't...understand this. How are you in the army, Hunter? You're only sixteen, still in high-" Viola began, but Hunter sighed and put his hand up to stop her.

"I'm not still in high school, Mom. I got my GED at the end of May and joined the army at the beginning of June. Those were the two days I was out of school when you thought I was sick. Dad's been helping me get where I am now," Hunter said calmly. Everyone looked at Salvatore now, a little surprised.

"You knew about this? You _helped_ him?" Viola said in a shocked tone.

"Don't blame him, he was against it at first too, but I convinced him. If you would like to know, I will tell you in the barrack. Follow me," Hunter sighed as he turned to lead them towards the Plasma Fire company barracks silently, the others still in disbelief of all they have heard so far.

(A Barrack)

Reaching the barrack, Hunter was greeted by a few of the guys and the four girls from Striker One squad. "Hi, Hunter!" Elizabeth smiled.

"Hey, Liz. Where's your family today?" Hunter asked.

"Busy, they'll be here tomorrow for graduation though. It seems like you have a big family," Elizabeth chuckled.

"Yeah, Major Andersen said the same thing. Mom, Dad, sister, girlfriend, friends and two add-ons due to an association," Hunter listed off.

"Fair enough. Well, have fun. We're gonna hit the chow tent for snacks before lunch," Danielle grinned.

"Oh no, you don't. I'm not bailing you four out of trouble again if you get caught sneaking in there. Your area of expertise is not stealth. Stay in your barrack girls," Hunter stated firmly.

"Who made you boss?" Amber huffed a bit.

"You forget that Haddock is squad leader?" came another voice from behind Hunter, he looked to see it was Treyden. "Andersen named him Striker One squad leader after the field training exercise last week, so he's in charge when the drill sergeants, Holgerson, and Andersen aren't present," Treyden reminded.

"Fine," the girls moaned together and returned to their barrack.

"Thanks for that, Trey," Hunter smiled as he connected hands with his friend.

"I ain't your battle buddy for nothing, Hunt. I got your back; you know that. Are you coming inside? Theo and Andrew are in here too. Our families aren't coming until tomorrow too, so you're stuck dealing with us," Treyden chuckled a little.

"Not like you three are difficult to entertain," Hunter rolled his eyes as Treyden opened the door and held it for Hunter as he walked in and then his group followed him.

"Hey, hey! There he is," Andrew smiled.

"I'm sure you three have much better things to do with your time than be waiting around for me," Hunter replied.

"Probably, but they are boring without you, Haddock," Theo shrugged as Hunter only shook his head with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I got a few personal matters to deal with first so keep yourselves busy?" Hunter asked, and they nodded, then he faced his family. "All right, look, I'm only explaining it one time. Freshman year, sucked for me. I sat in class all day listening to things get taught that I already knew. I noticed that there was more than one way to join the army so I talked to Dad about getting my GED and he agreed. Took the practice tests, took the real exam and passed. Dad helped me get signed up. Reception Week was first at Fort Riddari for four days to get tags, suits, gear, all that and then I was sent here for Basic which tomorrow, I graduate as a private. That's it, that's the whole story,"

"Salvatore Haddock, how dare you not bring this to my attention immediately! He's only sixteen, why would you let him join the army?!" Viola said quickly.

"Because he wanted to, Vi. Hunter has the same drive I did at his age, how could I of said no?" Sal sighed.

"By saying no, Dad. Didn't you guys refuse to let him skip grades so he could enjoy his childhood?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Well, that was because we thought he might miss something important, but he isn't. Hunter came to me at the beginning of May and asked if we could talk, though at first, I thought it was something completely different invol-" Sal started.

"Dad, I don't believe we need to revisit your horrible assumptions of what you thought was wrong," Hunter stated quickly.

"Right, sorry son. He had asked if I wouldn't tell you or Caitlyn about it then he reminded me about wanting to join. I said he could in three years and Hunter mentioned he didn't want to wait that long. Hunter stated that if he took the GED and passed, then he completes his education and can drop out of high school and join with parental consent. I told him I wasn't keen on the idea, but Hunter explained that he knows what he would have been taught over the next three years. He reminded me how I felt about joining when I was eighteen, and I understood where he was coming from so we made a deal," Sal continued.

"The deal was I take the practice tests online, and if I passed with nothing lower than a seventy-five, he would let me take the GED exam and if I passed that, then he'd let me join the army with his full support, and he would help too. So for two weeks, I studied like hell and took the practice tests. I took them the night everyone was out of the house. The first day I was sick, I was at the community center taking the exam, It was from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Each test was an hour long with a fifteen-minute break in between to stretch or get a snack. The Monday following that Friday of the exam, I got a phone call saying I passed with ninety or above," Hunter took over to give his father a minute to catch his breath.

"So I took him to the recruiter's office the next day after we picked up his GED certificate and we were told that the entrance station would call him in a few days so he could go in to get that all setup. They called that Friday to tell him to come at 9 am on June 3rd, so he played sick at school, and I picked him up, and we went to the city for the day which ended with him under contract for service and sworn in. He got his Basic ship date which was the 15th of June, Fort Riddari first for Reception and then on to Fort Draco for Basic and AIT, you still have to do that, don't you son?" Sal inquired.

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, starts next week after some of the of the newly graduation soldiers move to other bases for their AIT training based on their jobs in the army. I stay here for another four weeks and not sure after that, we haven't heard yet," he replied calmly.

"Wait, so you have to be here another month?" Audrey frowned some.

"I gotta finish training, babe," Hunter replied.

"Do you get to come home when you're done? And what does AIT stand for?" Caitlyn asked.

"Advanced Individual Training, its specialized for whatever job was chosen at MEPS that we do in the army. Such as the Plasma Fire company will remain here through AIT because we all wanted the job of infantryman or woman if you're a girl in this group. We don't know what happens after the next four weeks, we could get stationed anywhere on Archi Island," Andrew mentioned now. "I assume we'll get some time home, but then it's straight to work," he added.

"I cannot believe you both went behind my back," Viola remarked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Would you have agreed to let me do it if I came to you and said I wanted to join at sixteen if I got my GED?" Hunter asked her.

"Heavens no!" Viola replied instantly.

"That's why I didn't tell you. It's also why I said the day of the picnic that you couldn't stop me and I should have just left without saying anything. I wasn't going to tell anyone until training was over but I decided to at least mention I would be gone all summer and then last night when I called, I told Dad to invite you all up to learn the truth. I technically didn't lie; I said I would be training for the army. I just didn't mention I was already in the military," Hunter stated.

"What was your Dad saying a second about under contract?" Heather asked lightly.

"It's an enlistment contract for your service to the military. There are a few different kinds based on what you signed up for at MEPS. Active Duty is full-time for anywhere/anytime needed and is subjected to work 24/7 unless on leave or pass. Reserves are part time for island situations and additional support to active duty members if needed but will get to go home after Basic. And Archi Island Guard which is more centered to on individual town situations such as weather or rioting. There are subcontracts too such as Weekend Service, reporting one weekend per month and two weeks of training a year. The last would be Individual Ready Reserves which is in short that you're active duty but reserve. Example, I work for a few months then go reserve mode unless called back in for active depending on situations," Theo explained now.

"Every member of the military is under one of those types of contacts, and each one has a minimum number of years of service to adhere to unless discharged first for whatever reason. Medical, breaking the laws, stuff like that," Treyden added in.

"What contract are you under and how many years, Hunter?" Caitlyn dared to ask.

"What these knuckleheads left out is that your chosen job plays a role in which contract you're allowed to pick. Our job is Infantry **,** the main land combat force and backbone of the Archi Island Army. We are responsible for defending our home against any threat by land, as well as capturing, destroying and repelling enemy ground forces. The contracts that can be signed for this job is Active Duty, Reserves, or Individual Ready Reserves. All three of which are set for the minimum of eight years military service with the added factor that in times of conflict, the commanding officers can keep us longer past our contract time if there is a situation to handle that runs over the eight years," Hunter explained firmly with closed eyes.

"Hunter. Which contract are you under?" Audrey asked again since Hunter didn't answer the original question.

Hunter sighed heavily before lifting his lids and looked at them sternly. "Active Duty," he replied. "As of tomorrow at 11 am, I graduate as a full-time Archian soldier," Hunter added calmly while leaning against his and Treyden's bunk, arms crossed over his chest while the group standing before him gasped in shock. Viola, Caitlyn, and Audrey looked like they were about to cry. Shane, Renee, Travis, Fisher, and Heather were in shock. Drew and Eddie seemed surprised, but their mouths weren't hanging open from the news. Salvatore just offered a smile, still proud of his son. Hunter was a soldier now, and he didn't care if they didn't like it, this was his choice because he wanted to do it and would see it through all the way.


	6. Turning Out Okay

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Turning Out Okay

Hunter knew this would be the reaction to a degree, he half expected to be yelled at for what he did, but it appeared that his mother was more upset with Salvatore for allowing it and never talking to her first. Sal understood Hunter's reasoning and desire to join the military, no one else did. Hunter had been told many times by his mother that it was a mistake and by everyone else that it was dangerous or he was crazy. It wasn't like they were wrong about their suspicions. Hunter was crazy and being in the army was dangerous, but Hunter didn't care, it's what he wanted to do.

"So, silence for the rest of your time here or would you like for me to show you around?" Hunter asked calmly, though, the sarcasm was quickly picked up.

"I'd like to see around; it's been some time since I was at Fort Draco," Sal informed.

"Well, it's a bit much to take in, Hunter. None of us expected something like this, at least not for a few years yet," Heather informed.

"I don't see what's so hard to take in about the fact I did what I wanted to do. Whether it was three years in the future or now, it was going to happen either way," Hunter replied.

"Because you're sixteen man. This couldn't be the only thing you have wanted to do. What about spending time with family, friends, your girlfriend? We all used to hang out during the summer, at school in lunch and now you're here and won't be coming back to school with us on Monday," Travis mentioned.

"You're making it sound like you won't ever see me again. Yeah, there's other things I want in life but the school thing, what was I gaining from spending 7 am to 2 pm being told everything I already know? What did I learn by spending three more years doing that? Yeah, we can't hang at lunch anymore or be in the same classes, but I'm still around. I won't be here at Fort Draco forever; this is just training. When I get my station assignments, I'm stopping in Berkton to get my truck, and when I get free time I'll be visiting you all," Hunter enlightened.

"I was active duty too, and though I was busy through the week, I got to come home on the weekends. Then there are always vacation leave times and off base passes for a day or more. The only time you won't see a lot of him is if he's handling a situation for the island or gets deployed," Sal interjected, attempting to help out.

"Will we get to talk to you more after your training is over?" Audrey asked softly looking at her boyfriend now.

"That's up to the officers training us. The communication is limited because they want us focusing on training," Andrew mentioned now. It was this time that Harry Andersen, Asher Holgerson, and Richard Grimborn walked in. Treyden, Andrew, Theo, and Hunter quickly stood at attention and brought their hands up for a salute to their commanding officers.

"As you were," Harry smiled, and the four soldiers relaxed a bit. "Thought we'd come by to introduce ourselves, though, I feel we walked in on something serious,"

"Not at all, Major Andersen. Just my group is learning that I joined the army and disliking it. Well, except my dad," Hunter stated motioning to his father beside him.

"Your son has done remarkable here. Some of the best scores in all areas that we haven't seen in ten years," Asher informed. "Hunter is going to just fine in the army,"

"I'm glad to hear it; I knew he would! Now maybe we can get that look around, how about it son?" Salvatore asked.

"That depends on the rest of them as I never got an answer to my question before. You can all enjoy today and tomorrow with me by accepting this is what chose to do because I wanted to or you can just turn around and go back to the parking lot and return to Berkton because I'm not having the argument again," Hunter stated firmly.

"Hunter, don't be that way. It's supposed to be a good day," Harry sighed.

"Sorry, Major Andersen. It's a personal matter that I won't have at work with me. There is only one person in this group that has supported my decision, and that man is my father. Everyone else believes I don't belong or shouldn't be here. It has been a constant argument that I am not having again. Love you all dearly, except you two," Hunter motioned to Eddie and Drew, "But I'm sick of fighting over a matter that I said I was going to do and now have done. I joined, I'm in, I'm staying. So what's it going to be?" Hunter asked firmly.

The barrack was a quiet now; Sal was standing closest to Hunter as he did support this choice. Hunter was done dealing with the arguing. After a moment, Shane stepped forward past Caitlyn and Viola then put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Uncle Sal is right. It's not wrong for anyone else to join, so why is it wrong for Hunter to do it? It's what he wants to do. Hunter is a soldier and wants to protect his home. How does it make him feel know he's protecting people who don't support him or what he does? Well, he's my cousin, and families stick together no matter what. I choose to support him," Shane informed. Renee, Fisher, and Travis did the same, walking over to be on Hunter's side.

"We've been friends for years; we're not walking out on that just because he's doing what he's been talking about doing since like, forever," Travis mentioned.

"It's a lot to take in knowing he's a soldier now but he always said he would be. Who cares if it's a little earlier in the original plan," Heather smiled. Drew shrugged, and Eddie gave the nod in agreement.

"Promise you'll stay in touch and visit as much as you can?" Audrey asked looking into Hunter's eyes.

"I'll do my best, Milady," Hunter offered her a smile as she walked over and hugged him tightly, Hunter returned it and wrapped his arm around her waist looking to his mother and sister now. "Well, how about you two?"

Caitlyn sighed as she walked over and hugged him tightly. "You're my only brother, Hunter and I want you to be happy, so if this does that, then I'm okay with it. But no more going behind our backs, got it?" Caitlyn looked up at him.

"Soldier's Honor, sis," Hiccup gave a half-assed salute.

"I'm not happy about it and never will be, Hunter," Viola began, "But I know I can't stop you, and if I fight about it, you won't talk to me anymore, so I'll accept it. Updates on everything, understand? When you're coming home, how long you'll be away. Any of it, I want updates. Do that, and I will give you my support,"

"I'll give you what I'm allowed to by these guys. Some stuff I can't say, security reasons," Hunter replied.

"I'll take what I can get. So, how about we start this family day over," Viola smiled as she hugged Hunter tightly. "I believe introductions are in order," she suggested.

"Should we go get the others from our squad, Hunter?" Theo asked.

"Yeah, go get them," Hunter nodded. Theo and Andrew rushed out of the barrack while four more males came over from their beds, couple extras with them. "Well, I guess we can start with our commanding officers," he added. "So, this is Major Harry Andersen, leader of Plasma Fire company," Hunter motioned to the man with light brown hair and hazel eyes. "Next to him is our platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Asher Holgerson. Our platoon name, by the way, is Alpha Hooligan," he introduced a male with dark brown hair and eyes. "And this is Sergeant First Class Richard Grimborn, drill sergeant for Striker One squadron,"

"Why so many names? Why not just stick to the company one?" Eddie asked.

"We only group up as a company if we deploy outside of Archi Island, for anything else we do as a platoon or squadron. It depends on the situation," Treyden informed.

"That seems incredibly hard to keep track of. How do you break it all down? How many soldiers were standing out there earlier?" Heather inquired.

"I'll explain after this. Oh, and answer your second question; three hundred and eighty-four not including commanding officers," Hunter replied. A minute or two had passed before four girls came in smiling. "All right, so the twelve of us make up Striker One squad. We're all between the ages of sixteen and nineteen so going down the line here. Treyden Fury, Andrew Kingston, and I know you hate it but Theodore-prefers Theo-Vollan," Theo glared at him, and Hunter chuckled a bit. "Next is Zander Radco, Nikolas Manning, Conner Hayes, Jay Michaels, Amber Young, Elizabeth Campbell, Danielle Greenhalgh, and Amanda Christy," he finished.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Sal smiled.

"So do we get to know who they are?" Danielle giggled.

"Zip it, Dani. I'm getting around to it. I know you all want to meet my Dad; this is him; former Second Lieutenant Salvatore Haddock," Hunter smiled.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Haddock. Hunter has told us much about you and that you were his inspiration to join the army," Richard shook Sal's head.

"Oh, has he now?" Sal laughed a little. "Best introduce your mother before she gets jealous that I'm your favorite parent," he added as Viola glared at her husband.

"You are my favorite, Dad. The rest of my group is my mother, Viola Haddock and my little sister, Caitlyn Haddock. My friends; Renee and Travis Thorston, Fisher Ingerman, Heather DeRange. My cousin, Shane Jorgenson. And those two are just...add-ons; Drew Derange and Edward Eriksen. Lastly, this beautiful girl over here is my girlfriend, Audrey Hofferson," Hunter introduced.

"If those two aren't friends, why are you putting up with them?" Treyden asked curiously referring to Eddie and Drew.

"Drew is Heather's older brother and Eddie is Drew's best friend. It's not often you don't seem them together. I assume that Drew drove Heather and Fisher in while Eddie drove the twins. The rest came with my parents in their car," Hunter shrugged.

"Well, we best be going to make sure lunch arrangements are going well. See you then boys and girls. Oh! Striker One, don't forget that you're putting on the dinner show with Striker Two," Harry reminded.

"Won't forget, Major," the twelve soldiers called together as Harry, Richard, and Asher left the barrack.

"Dinner show?" Sal asked.

"Yeah, Alpha Hooligan got picked out of a hat to put on a show for the families tonight. There will be a lunch show too; I think one of the platoons from the Lavablast company has the lunch show. And tomorrow is a platoon from Spineshot and one from the Infernowing company to do lunch and dinner, not sure which order though," Hunter said.

"How do you remember all that?" Fisher asked.

"What? The different companies, platoons, and squadrons?" Hunter arched a brow, and they nodded. "It is not difficult. All the soldiers you saw on the field today make up the 117th Riddari Battalion. This is a group of troops ranging between three hundred and eight hundred. What you saw was four groups, those were companies. Four or more make up a battalion. Each company can hold eighty to one hundred and fifty people," he explained.

"Each company is made up of four platoons, what you saw on the field was ninety-six and women between each platoon which are made up of twenty-four each. Platoons break down into squadrons of twelve per." Theo explained.

"How do any of those numbers add up to three hundred and eighty-four?" Drew blinked.

"If you paid attention in math class, you would be able to figure out that number is an even number and can be divided down to something smaller," Hunter chuckled a bit.

"Don't get cocky just because you got your GED, Hunter. I ain't afraid to put you on your ass in front of everyone," Eddie remarked.

"You touch him, and you deal with all of us too," Andrew stated firmly. "You prepared to take on eleven others? Or we could call over Striker Two, another twelve soldiers to make it twenty-four total," he added. Eddie shut his mouth now.

"Each squad has twelve soldiers in it and four squads make a platoon of twenty-four because twelve plus twelve is twenty-four. If you take four platoons, you get a company of ninety-six because twenty-four multiplied by four is ninety-six. There are three hundred and eighty-four soldiers not including the drill sergeants and officers which means that there were four companies of ninety-six soldiers per standing before you today on the field since three-eighty-four divided by four is ninety-six." Hunter informed calmly.

"Well, at least that is how our battalion is broken down. The numbers base on how many soldiers come in for training, this group happened to have three-eighty-four," Conner mentioned.

"So how is your company broken down, Hunter? Like, by names as you were using before?" Audrey questioned.

"Plasma Fire company is made up from Alpha Hooligan, Bravo Berserker, Charlie Conqueror, and Delta Nightmare platoons. Hooligan breaks down between Striker One and Two squads. Oh, and fun fact; Striker Two got trained by Sergeant First Class Richard Grimborn's younger brother, Staff Sergeant Victor Grimborn," Hunter chuckled a bit.

"So this barrack is for Striker One?" Viola asked.

"No. Striker One and two males reside in this barrack, A-One. The girls of Striker One and Two stay across the road there in barrack A-Two. There's no co-ed here, we only mix for training. Never sleeping or showering," Treyden stated.

"And it would stay that way for a deployment too, right?" Heather inquired as Hunter nodded.

"I take it we're not practicing our routine for tonight?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Nah, we're okay. All right, I'm gonna show my group around. You can continue doing whatever it was you were doing," Hunter told the twelve people around him.

"Roger that," four of the boys said before returning to their bunks.

"Aye aye!" the girls smiled and headed out of the barrack. Hunter faced Treyden, Theo, and Andrew.

"You wanna tag along with me, don't you?" Hunter asked as they nodded, "Very well," he sighed heavily.

"I'm your battle buddy; it's my job to keep you out of trouble," Treyden chuckled.

"I think you have it backward there bud. It was me keeping all three of you out of trouble. Andrew with his cell phone, Theo with the gun training, and you, Trey with the marching fiasco," Hunter reminded.

"How did you keep them out of trouble?" Caitlyn questioned.

"Andrew was on his phone when he wasn't allowed to be when we had surprise barrack inspection, I took his phone from him but got caught and said it was mine so he wouldn't get scolded for it. It landed me fifty pushups and half a mile jog in the pouring rain. Theo got frustrated during gun practice, threw his weapon down and it fired a blank. I shoved my gun into his arms and moved him to my spot. I stood next to his tossed gun, got smoked for that and had to do thirty pushups, two-mile run, and then clean every single gun in the platoon to make sure they were ready for next use," Hunter explained.

"And Treyden's marching fiasco?" Audrey inquired.

"Trey got distracted and stepped out of sync during marching practice, he tripped and fell and caused others to do the same. When drill sergeant came down and asked who did it, the rest of the platoon blamed Treyden, but I stepped in and said it was me and Trey only fell to help me," Hunter said.

"What was your punishment for that?" Sal asked.

"A workout I never want to repeat. Pushups, situps, pullups, planking, and running. Ask any one of these three how fast I crashed on my bed after all that," Hunter replied.

"Soon as dinner ended, he knocked out on my bed all through drill sergeant and personal time," Andrew stated.

"Why did you take the fall for them?" Fisher inquired.

"Because the first day of Basic we got told that the people in our platoon are family, brothers, and sisters who not only protect our homes but each other too. We always have each other's backs. The day I took Andrew's would be punishment was because he had been sick earlier and I didn't want it to get worse if he had to do all the extra work. Theo hadn't gotten a lot of sleep due to an argument with his father, and lack of sleep can cause someone to be a little moody without meaning to so I took the fall for him because it had been an accident. And for Trey, well, he's my battle buddy, and it's my job to look out for him as he does for me like earlier when he reminded the girls who the squad leader is when the others aren't around," Hunter shrugged.

"Good man, son. Now, how about that tour?" Sal smiled wide after patting Hunter on the back.

"I suppose we can start that in here. Welcome to the A barrack, home of Striker One and Two squadron males. This is mine, and Treyden's bunk, next to us is Theo and Andrew's. Behind you is Zander and Jay's, and after them is Conner and Nikolas's. The pairings are battle buddies, it makes it easier for them to keep track of us," Hunter began and from there went on to show them their lockers, where the restrooms were without going in them, and then he moved the group outside to show them where everything else was. Hunter also told them how his schedule every day for the last ten weeks had been, today hadn't started great with how everyone got when they learned the truth, but it was sure turning out okay now.


	7. Decent Day

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Decent Day

Hunter spent most of the family day showing his family, friends, extras, and girlfriend around Fort Draco with Treyden, Theo, and Andrew. Of course, they didn't go anywhere they weren't allowed, but Hunter showed the obstacle courses, medical barrack, the shooting and grenade range, the chow hall where they ended up stopping just in time for lunch, then where the other company areas were, and the drill sergeant quarters. Other places were the main building where they got sorted out into their groups at the start of nine weeks ago. Treyden, Andrew, Theo, and Hunter told the group stories about how training went; good and bad times. Salvatore and Shane seemed the most interested about everything, the rest not so much and Hunter expected that.

It would take time for them to get used to him being in the army, that was all right. Hunter didn't mind giving them that time as long as they weren't giving him shit about his choice anymore. Hunter was glad they all decided to accept it, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that his mother was faking it just to stay around him since Hunter told them to deal with it or leave. Hunter didn't care if she hated it, she couldn't tell him what to do or how to live his life since he had his GED and was in the army. Being Hunter was a minor, those two factors meant he was legally emancipated from his parents. It said he could make his own decisions without their consent and do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't brake Island laws.

Emancipation was the process of freeing someone from another's control; in Hunter's sense, it meant that he was relinquished from his parent's authority. Hunter still loved them and held respect for both, but the emancipation declared that he as a minor would take on adult responsibilities such as taking care of himself and making his own decisions in life. Hunter would still live with them, Salvatore stated that he could so really, Hunter wasn't allowed to drink until he turned eighteen. That was his only restriction of still being a minor. Hunter could drive, make choices, and no longer had a curfew. It was a sweet deal for him, and he wasn't much for drinking anyway, his father had allowed him to once or twice when he was fifteen.

The day was going swell compared to how it had started; everyone was getting along if it could be called that. Eddie was still quiet having not liked to be threatened by Hunter's army friends but other than that things were okay. At the moment, they were sitting outside enjoying the weather and talking. Hunter was telling them how graduation was supposed to go and that a lot of the soldiers who weren't staying at Fort Draco for AIT would be leaving Sunday afternoon or night and then some would leave at different points during the week.

"So you don't technically start AIT until after this coming week?" Audrey asked.

"That's right. We start the 29th, give the others who aren't staying a chance to leave and others to come in. This is the main base for infantry training, only four weeks so that it won't be horrible," Hunter said.

"And you said earlier that we might get to see you before final station assignments?" Caitlyn inquired.

"It's a slim chance. After graduation from AIT, we'll be informed of our first duty station and when we go there. Soldiers who are married get ten days leave before going to their assigned spot because they need time to find a house and arrange everything. Us single soldiers don't have as much work to do so we might just get sent to our stations and possibly get leave when that is settled," Andrew mentioned.

"Well, that seems unfair, fourteen weeks away from home and they should be willing to let you go for a few days," Viola frowned.

"The military doesn't have to be fair, Mrs. Haddock. It's their job to send us where we're needed to do our jobs that we've spent thirteen weeks training for. I say thirteen because Reception Week doesn't count for training," Theo stated gently. "Some companies deploy immediately after AIT is completed," he added.

"Oh my, heaven forbid it!" Viola said quickly with a hand over her heart.

"You're not...deploying right after training, are you, Hunter?" Shane asked.

"I don't know. We haven't been told anything about when AIT is over. We likely won't be informed until after we're done, can't deploy us if we aren't ready with incomplete training. I assume the wait is to make sure everyone passes AIT. For us, we're infantry soldiers and first in land combat to fight. We're active duty so we would deploy before anyone in the reserves or guard goes," Hunter shrugged a bit.

"But you will know beforehand if you do, won't you? They can't just announce you're deploying and send you off, can they?" Heather asked gently.

"We can if it's a matter of urgency, but it rarely happens that way," came Asher Holgerson's voice as he made his way over to them. "Most of the time, the soldiers work on rotation schedules based on numerous factors. Some groups complete training and don't deploy for up to five years later on. At the same time, there are some who leave within a month. However, in the rare case it's immediately after finishing AIT it is because conflict location lost a lot of soldiers in a set time frame and needed back up instantly. As I said though, that's a rare occasion,"

"Do the soldiers know how long they deploy for on their rotation?" Renee questioned.

"The soldiers can deploy from anywhere between six months to eighteen months for a single rotation. The deployment time is also based on a bunch of factors about the situation they would be sent into," Asher replied.

"And they will know ahead of time when they go, so they can say goodbye to people and pack up, right?" Fisher inquired.

"Yes. That is the case for most deployment orders. They will receive a phone call from their platoon leader about deploying and given instructions to follow to prepare for such. The chance is high that the soldiers return to this base for debriefing, additional training, evaluations, and physical exams to ensure each soldier is ready," Asher informed.

"How will they know the call is for deployment?" Audrey asked.

"Much like a phone tree works. The orders will come from the military headquarters for which companies will be deploying. Sometimes it's one, and others it can be more. Those orders will go to the base where the platoons of those companies are stationed. Once it gets there, it will go to the company leader or leaders if more than one. Then continuing down the tree to platoon and squadron leaders. For Plasma Fire it would go; Andersen, me and the other platoon commanding officers, then on to the eight squad leaders who would be in charge of calling the twelve soldiers from their unit. So in this example, if Plasma Fire deploys, Striker One squad would get their orders from Richard and Striker Two from Victor," Asher explained.

"So they would just get told by their squad leader that it's to deploy?" Shane said calmly.

"Well, it would be worded as mobilization alert for Plasma Fire company, report to such and such base at this time on this day. On suggested day, the soldiers will know where they are going, how long for, and when they leave. The soldiers will be given some time to get their affairs in order and go through the preparation to leave as I said before with evaluations and exams," Asher stated. "Came to tell you boys to get ready for your dinner show, Richard has the rest rounded up. I'll take yer folks, sibling, friends, and girlfriend to the chow hall for you, Haddock,"

"Yes sir," Hunter saluted as he and the other three got up, and they hurried off to their barrack.

"What exactly are they going to do?" Sal asked.

"I know nothing about it, none of the officers do. It was up to the soldiers to plan in their down time during the last phase of Basic," Asher chuckled as he motioned for them to get up and follow him and so they did, all wondering what they would get to witness tonight.

(Dinner; Chow Hall)

Everyone was seated in the chow hall in their respected spot waiting for the show to begin, they were most curious to see what was planned for their entertainment of the evening. Finally, Asher came out on the make-shift stage and tapped the microphone to get their attention, and it got quieter.

"Welcome to dinner! As you remember, we gave you a show for lunch, and we are giving you another for dinner put on by the soldiers of Alpha Hooligan platoon! Not sure what they are doing but we're sure it's gonna be great. So sit back and enjoy!" Asher announced as there was little applause and then quieted down when they heard marching and commands being called from outside.

"Left! Left! Left, right left," was repeated a few times as the two groups came in, twelve on each side representing Striker squads one and two but Alpha Hooligan platoon as a whole. The twenty-four soldiers marched in place for a moment, and then music began playing as it did when the soldiers came out earlier that morning.

"What song is this? There was only music this morning," Eddie asked quietly.

"You'll see," Salvatore smiled.

" _It's time to strap our boots on. This is a perfect day to die. Wipe the blood out of our eyes,"_ the soldiers began together while starting to march forward in sync. _"In this life, there's no surrender. There's nothing left for us to do. Find the strength to see this through,"_ they continued towards the stage.

 _"_ _We are the ones who will never be broken. With our final breath, we'll fight to the death. We are soldiers, we are soldiers! Woah woah woah whoa! We are soldiers,"_ Reaching the stage, the small group they formed themselves together to help each other onto the stage as if it were one of their teamwork exercises. A few of the girls would step in the male's hands and get a firm lift up so they could do front flips and be caught by the men already on stage. With all on stage, they stood together in a line to start again on the next queue.

 _"_ _I stand here right beside you. Tonight we're fighting for our lives. Let me hear your battle cry. Your battle cry!"_ Hunter sang out as the rest of the soldiers yelled out. It was now that Richard and Victor brought out a long wooden case and opened it up to start passing out guns, though, they were plastic and white used for drill team or practice.

 _"_ _We are the ones who will never be broken. With our final breath, we'll fight to the death. We are soldiers, we are soldiers!"_ the soldiers sang together while holding their guns and spreading out a bit but staying grouped up and keeping the butt of the gun on the stage floor, tapping it to the beat of the music. _"We are the ones who will not go unspoken. No, we will not sleep. We are not sheep. We are soldiers, we are soldiers! Yeah!"_ after that they lifted their guns and started doing drill team work with them.

Spinning them around their backs, over their shoulders, switching with someone else, and following an impressive routine. Finally, they set their guns across their chest but kept them firm in their hands. _"We stand shoulder to shoulder. We stand shoulder to shoulder. We stand shoulder to shoulder,"_ the soldiers lined up and got close enough to have their shoulders touch. _"You can't erase us! You'll just have to face us!"_ they said calmly. _"_ _We stand shoulder to shoulder! We stand shoulder to shoulder! We stand shoulder to shoulder! You can't erase us! You'll just have to face us!"_ the soldiers yelled out.

 _"_ _We are the ones who will never be broken. With our final breath, we'll fight to the death. We are soldiers, we are soldiers,"_ a slight pause as they began separating and moving to different places of the stage or room. _"We are the ones who will not go unspoken. No, we will not sleep. We are not sheep. We are soldiers, we are soldiers! Yeah!"_ they continued while keeping a rhythm going by stomping a foot down and others putting their guns down and clapping their hands to a beat at the music got softer.

 _"_ _Woah woah woah whoa! We are soldiers. Woah woah woah whoa! We are soldiers,"_ this time the music cut completely and the twenty-four soldiers took up a position with their gun. Some standing, others pressed against a wall, a few kneeling, and the rest of them laying down but all ready to fire. _"Woah woah woah whoa! We are soldiers!"_ Somewhere the sound of guns firing was heard, but it became apparent that was part of the effects. The crowd went wild with cheering, hollering, and clapping for the display. The soldiers smiled as they made their way back to the stage and stood together to give a salute, then bow before beginning to put the drill guns away and move towards their table.

Asher got on the stage with a proud smile. "That was incredible Alpha Hooligans! Sounded great and looked perfect. Very well done! I have to know how you came up with such an interesting idea and developed it with so little time? You only had the hour and a half of personal time every night during the red phase, and you weren't allowed out of your barracks unless it was for laundry," he mentioned.

"That's when we worked on it, sir," said one of the soldiers while she sat down.

"During laundry?" Richard blinked a bit.

"Here and there, we found time," Conner shrugged.

"And how did you come up with all this, what inspired it?" Harry asked curiously.

"Hunter came up with it. Well, we heard him singing it while twirling one of the guns when he got that punishment for throwing a weapon down on the range. We thought it was unbelievable how easily he could do it and then when we got picked to do the show tonight, we asked if he would teach us the song and how to make the moves with the guns and so we just worked on it when we had the time. We used sticks and hid them in our laundry bags then practiced while doing laundry," Treyden chuckled a bit.

"Wonderful job and clever way to practice such a routine with a song that represents all soldiers. Now, I think we should enjoy our dinner," Harry announced. After that, everyone began to engage in light conversation and talk about things, mainly the dinner show because that was great. Time passed, and soon it was 7:00 pm and the families were hanging around with their soldiers in the barracks or just outside them with the lights on so it wasn't too dark.

"That was a cool show your platoon put on, Hunter," Travis mentioned.

"Eh, I didn't even know they were watching that day and more surprised when they asked I would teach them," Hunter shrugged.

"Always been one of your favorite songs," Sal reminded.

"You showed it to me," Hunter smiled gently.

"Ah, that I did. So I take it we have to leave soon?" Sal inquired.

"You should probably leave now," Hunter suggested.

"Why, we still have an hour?" Audrey murmured.

"Yes, but I doubt you want to be stuck in the traffic of leaving the base when everyone else leaves at 8 pm," Hunter replied. "Did you follow through on what I suggested, Dad?" he added.

"Oh, bringing an extra set of clothes? Yes. Caitlyn told everyone first thing this morning when you sent me the text. What do we need them for?" Salvatore arched a brow. Hunter went into the barrack for a moment and then returned and handed his father something before stepping back. Sal saw some money sitting in his hand and blinked at Hunter some.

"When you leave here, take a right out of the base and go ten minutes down the road. There will be a motel on your right called Cloud Comfort Inn. Let the clerk behind the counter you have a reservation under Hunter Haddock; three rooms total. One for you and Mom, another for the girls, and one more for the boys. There will be beds, cots, and a couch available for sleeping arrangements. Don't worry about paying in the morning; it's prepaid from my card. Use that for breakfast for yourselves, and I'll see you in the morning at 11 am for the ceremony," Hunter informed.

"Why get us a motel for the night? We would have driven back tomorrow," Caitlyn asked curiously.

"I felt that sleeping ten minutes from the base might be easier than driving forty-five to fifty minutes home, then back, and home again later as you already drove up this way one. Why waste more gas? Come on, I'll take you as far as the gate, but I can't leave the base," Hunter offered.

"You sure we can't stay longer?" Viola tried.

"It's easier to get out before everyone else does, trust me or you'll be sitting in line to get out for an hour or so. Besides, after you leave I'm grabbing a shower and going to sleep myself," Hunter told her.

"Aye, he's right. It's been a long day and tomorrow will be the same, he needs his rest," Salvatore nodded in agreement as everyone began to get up and dust off a bit from sitting in the grass. Hunter led them towards the gate where there were a few guards.

"Heading out for the evening folks?" the guard asked as Salvatore, Drew, and Eddie handed the man their tickets to where there parked cars were, and three soldiers went to get them. Hunter hugged his mother, sister, father, and girlfriend while shaking the hands of the others and stepped back. "Drive safely now!" the man said.

"See you tomorrow son," Salvatore smiled as Hunter waved to them while they got in the cars and drove off of the base. Hunter returned to the barrack 7:45 pm while everyone was getting ready to leave Hunter couldn't pass up the chance to prove he had been right, so he snapped a quick photo of every rushing to their cars to leave then sent it to his father and friends with the added message of; _~Aren't you glad I had you leave when I did? Lol, see you all tomorrow morning. -Hunter~_ After that, he grabbed a towel and his nightwear clothing. Hunter moved to the bathroom and took a hot shower, then dried off, got dressed and reached his bed. Overall, today had been a pretty decent day after all.


	8. Unexpected

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Unexpected

Hunter laid wide awake in his bed; it was 2:45 in the morning and he just couldn't sleep like everyone else was. Hunter didn't know what was wrong with him; he felt tired and weak. What sucked the most was feeling like he had to throw up but it would go back down. Hunter's body ached, he felt sick to his stomach and didn't understand why because it was coming on so suddenly. Hunter knew he wasn't supposed to leave the barrack between the hours of 9:30 pm and 5 am so telling someone he didn't feel good was out of the question until morning and he certainly didn't want to wake anyone up because they were all graduating in eight hours. What did that leave him for options? Nothing more than to tough it out. It was probably just a stomach ache and would pass later on. Hunter closed his eyes trying to go back to sleep.

Now at 3:15 am, it was getting worse in a sense he was shivering cold but sweating bullets. Hunter forced himself out of bed and down the ladder from his bunk to the floor and silently moved to the restroom where he proceeded to enter one of the stalls and throw up a few times. In the central area, Andrew had woken up to the sound of someone puking and wondered who it could be. Andrew looked around the dark barrack to see everyone in their beds, still sleeping except for Hunter. Andrew made his way out of bed but accidentally woke up Treyden and Theo with the light from his cell phone while doing so.

"Where are you going? It's like three in the morning," Theo yawned tiredly.

"I think Hunter is sick," Andrew mentioned calmly.

"What makes you say that?" Treyden asked.

"Can't you hear the throwing up from here? And Haddock is the only one not in his bed. I'm gonna go check on him," Andrew said as he started for the bathroom.

"Hang on, we'll come too," Theo offered as Treyden, and he got up and walked with Andrew towards the restroom, they entered quietly, and of course, the sound of throwing up was louder and sounded horrible. Hunter coughed hard after another bout of nausea had hit him.

"Hunter?" Treyden asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just fine," Hunter replied weakly.

"You're throwing up, how is that fine? You sick or something?" Theo inquired.

"A little. I'm okay. Feeling better already. You guys can go back to bed, I'll be out in a minute," Hunter managed as convincingly as he could.

"Are you sure? We can go get the drill sergeant for you," Andrew offered.

"Nah, don't both them. We can't...leave the barrack anyway. I'm okay, no worries. Got too hot is all," Hunter told them.

"If you're sure," the three said unsurely before leaving the bathroom and returning to their bunks. Hunter took a few more minutes to let the nausea pass before he got up, flushed the toilet then splashed his face and washed his hands. Hunter returned to his bed and laid back down, not that it helped any, but he would deal with it.

Thankfully, he didn't throw up anymore from the 3 am spurt, but he didn't eat breakfast, at least not a lot of it. Most of the morning was filled with preparations until 8 am when it got announced that graduation would work by each company going at a different time to keep down the number of people coming onto the field at one time. Plasma Fire would be going last at 11 am, apparently this whole idea got decided last night after he went to sleep. Hunter was asleep by 8 pm when everyone was leaving the base since the family day was over. Honestly, Hunter wanted to go to bed now. He felt worse than when this started at 1:15 am, that's about how long he'd been awake for. It was fine, he could handle this. Graduation ceremony, time with his family, and back to bed to get better before AIT started.

(11 am)

Just like the day before, the soldiers were dressed in their ACU's and marching out after the bombs went off. The ceremony was meant to be small with only a few words and then presenting them as privates and graduated from Basic Combat Training. After that, it would be more celebrations. The weather was a scorching eighty-three degrees and not helping Hunter's illness any, but he would be fine. This time, he was standing in the middle with Treyden, Theo, and Andrew so his family might not have such an easy time seeing him like yesterday. But they would see him afterward when they came down to congratulate him on graduating, he just hoped he could keep from throwing up with all the hugs he was sure to get.

A half hour into the ceremony, Hunter was dizzy but forced himself to stay still and focus on things, the ceremony was almost over and he could take the uniform coat off at least. Treyden noticed Hunter's miserable attempt at trying to hide that something was wrong.

"Hey, are you okay?" Treyden whispered knowing he wouldn't be heard over the man speaking at the podium.

"Ju-Just...fine, Trey," Hunter forced out.

"No, you're not. You look terrible, I'm getting our drill sergeant," Treyden glared at him and prepared to pass the message up since that's where Richard was standing with the others.

"Don't Trey, it's okay. I'll be fine until this ends and then I'll say something. Come on, don't stop the ceremony over me," Hunter asked.

"If you don't say something when this is over, I will kick your ass when you're better. Got it?" Treyden sighed, Hunter offered a smile to him in thanks. It was almost done, Hunter knew he'd be okay. It couldn't possibly get worse than it already was, right? Wrong. It got a lot worse the time was nearing the end, and Hunter couldn't even focus anymore. On top of that, he was light-headed and having a difficult time breathing with all the heat between weather and uniform. Treyden looked over at him again without moving his head and saw Hunter in bad shape. "Hunter?" he asked when he saw Hunter dazed out and swaying slightly.

Without warning, Hunter blacked out and fell back. Treyden grabbed his wrist as Andrew and Theo helped out by making sure Hunter didn't hit the ground hard. "Hey! Someone passed out back here!" got shouted as everyone suddenly had their attention on the group of soldiers around one who was being placed on the ground and checked over. Asher, Harry, and both of the Grimborn brothers hurried back and broke through the others.

"What happened?" Richard asked kneeling down next to Hunter to make sure he was still breathing.

"We don't know. He just blacked out," Andrew said.

"I asked him at 11:30 if he was okay because he looked horrible and said he was fine. I was going to get one of you, but he told me not to stop the ceremony on his account," Treyden sighed.

"Let's get him off the field and to medical. Victor, Richard, Asher, take him on foot and update me. The ceremony won't be too much longer and I'll tell his family when they come looking for him," Harry ordered.

"Yes, sir," the three males stated as they worked together to pick Hunter up.

"Fury, you're his battle buddy so go with them and I'll expect a full explanation afterward," Harry informed. Treyden nodded and followed after Asher, Victor, and Richard. Not long after they left, the ceremony continued after Harry assured the official there who was heading the event that everything was fine. Around 12:15, the graduation had ended and families began making their way down to give hugs and congratulations to their soldiers. Harry found Hunter's group looking for him and approached with a soft smile. "Looking for Hunter?"

"Yes, where is he?" Viola asked.

"I'm afraid your son was the one who passed out earlier and had to be taken to medical," Harry informed gently as they grew worried.

"Why did he pass out, Major Andersen?" Salvatore asked being the one to stay calm as he could.

"Unfortunately, I do not know the reason behind it. I saw him all morning and he appeared fine, I have not received and update from Asher, Richard, or Victor so I'm heading there now if you'd like to come?" Harry offered.

"Major Andersen, how's Hunter?" Theo asked coming over with Andrew.

"Not sure yet, going to check on him now. Joining us?" Harry inquired as the two nodded quickly. With nothing else said, Harry led them to the medical building, though, it was more like a small house with tons of cots laid out on the left and right with curtains to section each off for privacy. Upon entering, they were able to see Hunter laying on the bed, but thankfully, he was awake.

"You idiot!" Treyden remarked with a huff to his friend as the others blinked. "Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn, Hunter! You gave Theo, Andrew, and I a friggin heart attack!"

"Oh, come off it, Trey. I was fine," Hunter glared.

"You weren't though! YOU BLACKED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CEREMONY ON THE FIELD MISTER _I'M FINE_!" Treyden yelled at him. "I asked you fifteen minutes prior to that if you were okay and to let me get someone for you and you told me to leave it alone,"

"I feel as though I'm missing something incredibly imperative and I demand to know what it is," Harry stated now making himself known. "You seem to have known that Haddock wasn't fine, Private Fury, care to explain?"

"Wait, does all this have to do with last night?" Theo asked.

"What happened last night?" Caitlyn inquired. Treyden crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Harry now.

"Hunter has been sick since last night, Major Andersen. Andrew noticed it first around 3 am when he found Hunter not in his bed rather in the bathroom throwing up and told us. We offered to get the drill sergeant for him, and he refused it saying he was okay and to go back to sleep. Hunter didn't eat breakfast this morning, and during the ceremony, he got dizzy and light-headed from the heat, couldn't breathe. I told him I was going to get our drill sergeant and he said not to stop the ceremony because of him, then he blacked out," Treyden informed.

"You're the one who found him sick, Private Kingston?" Harry questioned.

"Well, I didn't find him per say. I heard throwing up and scanned the barrack to see who wasn't in their bed and noticed Haddock was the only one missing. I went to check on him, Theo and Treyden came with me and second witness to Trey's statement, Hunter said he was fine and got too hot," Andrew replied.

"I will third that statement," Theo added in.

"We asked Hunter why he didn't tell anyone last night and he said he knew it was against the rules to leave the barrack between 2130 and 0500 hours," Asher stated.

"Being sick is a different story, you're allowed to leave the barrack or send someone for help if it's for medical," Harry sighed.

"No one mentioned that in the rules of Basic so excuse my lack of knowing. I said I would tell someone when the ceremony was over," Hunter told Harry and the man sighed heavily. The medic came over now with a soft smile.

"What's the diagnosis for him?" Harry asked.

"Has to be some kind of bug for it to have come on so suddenly, Andersen but the passing out was due to the fact he was running a temperature of 103.6 and standing in full ACU out in the eighty-five-degree weather, perhaps a little dehydration too," the woman replied calmly.

"Will he be staying here for the duration of the bug?" Richard inquired.

"Hunter can return to his barrack twenty-four hours after it started, he won't be contagious after that. So, Kingston said he heard Haddock throwing up at 3 am, I do believe only Hunter here knows when it started," the medic informed as all eyes fell on him.

"The depends on what defines the 'start' of it?" Hunter asked.

"Well, most bug starting symptoms are fatigue and loss of appetite followed by feeling cold but sweating, nausea, weakness, and body aches. Any of that hit before this morning or did it just all start at once," Fisher mentioned now.

"Friday night I was more tired than usual and not hungry. Last night after dinner I was exhausted and everything else started around 0115," Hunter responded.

"First time you threw up?" the medic questioned.

"0245 hours, ma'am," Hunter answered.

"That was ten minutes before I heard him," Andrew interjected.

"I'm safely going to assume this started last night at dinner and got worse through the night into early morning so I will release you back to your barrack at 1900. But you will be on bed rest the next few days, understand?" the medic stated sternly.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Hunter gave a salute. The medic checked his forehead and smiled.

"Least the fever is dropping," she said before walking off.

"You boys best get back to your families. Haddock isn't going anywhere the rest of the day," Asher informed as Treyden, Theo, and Andrew nodded preparing to leave.

"Still kicking your ass when you're better, Hunt," Treyden warned putting his hand out to Hunter who connected his own to Treyden's.

"I'll hold you to that bud. Go on with your families and don't worry about me," Hunter smiled while they released hands and the three of them left.

"We'll go too so you can spend time with yours," Richard said as he, Victor, and Asher got up to leave next.

"I best go as well but before I forget since you had to be rushed off before it got announced, you did not graduate as a private," Harry said as Hunter arched a brow.

"Are you saying he didn't pass Basic?" Audrey asked quickly.

"Hm? Oh, heavens no. What I meant was that Hunter graduated Basic at a higher rank than the rest of his company," Harry smiled.

"Higher rank? What am I then, private first class?" Hunter asked.

"No, Hunter. You've graduated Basic Combat Training at the rank of Sergeant," Harry said as Hunter's eyes widened and he suddenly couldn't find his words.

"Wait a minute-WHAT!? Ser-Sergeant? That's...a four rank jump from private, Major Andersen. I didn't...do anything more or less than the others. Why in the name of Odin am I being promoted so high after only...nine weeks of training?" Hunter asked still in shock.

"You're one of the youngest soldiers here, sixteen years old and I've seen you do things that some of the fully grown men I know that have been here ten or more years can't do. You have top marks in all areas of training that haven't been seen in fifteen years. You made Expert shooter with various weapons, didn't miss a single target during the marksmanship test. You aced all three phases of Basic, you've taken the lead in exercises, and as Asher told you on Thursday after a few days in the forest, you're a damn good leader. You went above and beyond the field training exercise when your platoon was in trouble," Harry told him.

"I don't...see how any of that merits being made a sergeant," Hunter said confused.

"Because you lead others, Hunter. In the forest, your platoon was pinned down about to be ambushed by your commanding officer enemies. You took charge when the rest panicked, you broke them up into four-person units and made it harder for your enemies to attack or find you. Hunter, you even turned the ambush on Richard and Victor by capturing and bringing them out with you! That's leadership, that's what a sergeant does, they lead. If that had been done in war, you would have saved your entire platoon, Haddock. Get it? SAVED twenty-four people from being severely wounded or killed in action with your quick thinking, fast response times, and leadership skills. " Harry informed as he handed Hunter the envelope containing the new badges for his uniforms.

"I-I really don't know what to say except thank you, I guess?" Hunter replied.

Harry shook his hand, "You're welcome but I didn't do this. You did so take pride in it, you've earned this. Feel better soon, kid. This military has some high hopes for you, and we know you're going to go far with us," Harry told him as he ruffled Hunter's short hair then walked off. Hunter couldn't believe it, and in the moment he forgot his family and friends were there as he looked at the badge in his hand that signified him being a sergeant now. The whole day had been crazy with getting sick and blacking out, but this, getting promoted to Sergeant from Private had been something completely unexpected.


	9. Best Friends

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Best Friends

Hunter was still sitting on the cot in the medic's office staring at the badges that Harry had given him just moments ago, letting Hunter know that he graduated Basic Combat Training with the rank of sergeant. Everyone else graduated at private, or so that's what he assumed. Hunter knew it wasn't unheard of to be promoted higher than that, but it took serious skill and had to be approved by military headquarters first. Hunter's only guess was that all of his achievements or whatever were being reported to the central office in the city and got decided days ago after the field training exercise ended. Hunter was a sergeant now; it was so much to take in because he didn't feel like he earned it for just acting on instinct during training. That's how Hunter had always been, he trusted his gut and acted accordingly.

Hunter wanted to know if anyone else knew about this, him being promoted to sergeant. Was that why Harry waited until everyone left except Hunter's family and friends? It's not Hunter would be able to hide it when the badges got put on his uniform. There were some for the ACU and his Class A, also the pins that would go on his collar for both uniforms. Hunter honestly couldn't find his words at the moment, what could he possibly say to this?

"I don't think I made Sergeant until I had been the army for eight years," Salvatore stated breaking the silence. "And you did it in nine weeks," he added with a proud smile.

"I-I wasn't even trying to get promoted. I was just doing the same as everyone else, I should be graduating as a private like the rest of the company," Hunter managed to say.

"Not according to Major Andersen, son. You never told me much about training other than it was going well. Hearing what your CO said, it seems like much more. I want to know everything," Salvatore said excitedly.

"You know what gets done in BCT, Dad. Three phases; black, silver, and red and each one covers something different with a test at the end of each," Hunter shrugged.

"Well, I joined the military thirty-two years ago, Hunter. Back then, your rank promotions went by years in and how well you did. And we didn't have the end of phase testing either, the phases back them were numbered too. A lot of things have changed," Sal mentioned.

"Much has changed since those times," the medic informed gently while standing at the medicine cabinet and taking inventory. "Rank promotions now are given to the ones who show the skill for such. As Major Andersen stated, Hunter made sergeant because that rank is a soldier who shows leadership and a sergeant has the authority to lead a small squadron of ten to fifteen men and women. Hunter got this promotion because of his exceptional skills during the nine weeks here," she added with a soft smile.

"What did he do to jump so far ahead?" Travis inquired curiously.

"You would have to ask his commanding officers or him. I'm just the base doctor," the woman smiled gently.

"Tell us, Hunter! Please?" Audrey asked him curiously.

"I think it can wait until he's gotten some more rest," Viola chimed in, "Hunter is still sick and looks exhausted. You look as though you've been up for days," she said.

"Been up since about 1 am, so yeah, I'm tired," Hunter replied calmly. "Why don't you go to lunch in the mess hall and I'll take a nap. When you get back, I'll tell you how training went,"

"Sounds good son. Get some sleep, and we'll see you in an hour or so. Should we sit with your platoon like yesterday?" Sal asked, and Hunter nodded to him then Treyden came in two minutes later.

"Feeling any better?" Treyden questioned.

"Not in the slightest so I'm gonna take a nap. Bring them to the mess hall for me?" Hunter informed.

"Will do. Get some rest, my friend," Treyden smiled as he and Hunter did a fist bump, then Trey led Hunter's group out of the building. Hunter covered himself up and closed his eyes; he hoped he could get some sleep.

(Two Hours Later)

The lunch show was entertaining; it took all of ten minutes to get through and then everyone enjoyed their meal. Afterward, a couple of the commanding officers stepped up to say a few words about how well all the recruits-now soldiers, did during training and then most of them sat around to talk to one another at the table. Salvatore had suggested they don't return to the medical building right away and give Hunter some more time to sleep since he hadn't gotten a lot the night before and to top it off he was sick with a stomach bug. By the end of two hours in the mess hall, other families left just to avoid the traffic of the night before. Treyden, Theo, and Andrew were three of the soldiers whose family bailed out early so after that; they decided to go back to the infirmary to check on Hunter.

(Infirmary)

All of them filing in slowly, they noticed Hunter's cot was empty and searched around a moment. The only people in there were themselves and perhaps two or three other patients who said they didn't see where Hunter went since they were on the others side with curtains closed.

Andrew's eyes fell on the bathroom door. "I suppose he could be in the restroom," he shrugged. Ten minutes passed and no sign of Hunter coming out. "We should check to make sure he's okay," Andrew suggested.

"You two go check on him, I'll stay here with his family and friends," Theo nodded. Treyden and Andrew hurried into the bathroom and saw Hunter in one of the stalls. Though they couldn't see all of him, just the fact he was sitting on the ground groaning in pain.

"Hunter?" Andrew asked gently. No answer was given, but they did see Hunter shift to being on his knees and throwing up followed by coughing and breathing heavily. Not more than two seconds later, Hunter was back to sitting down, but he had unlocked the stall door as Treyden opened it slowly as they saw him sitting with knees up and arms over his stomach, head against the side of the stall. Hunter was sweating and trying to catch his breath.

"This is getting worse. Hunter hasn't eaten anything since last night and throwing up like this can't be good," Treyden sighed.

"How long have you been in here? How many times have you thrown up since we all left?" Andrew asked crouching down to get a better look at Hunter and checking his forehead and cheek. "You're burning up, man. Take this coat off,"

"I-I don't know how long I've...been in here and as for number," he paused trying not to throw up again, "I lost count. The...medic left when I was sleeping, something woke me up and I started puking. I haven't...left moved since then. It's been coming...in waves every five to ten minutes," Hunter forced out while cringing again while leaning forward, so Andrew and Treyden worked to get his ACU coat off. Once it was, all the movement didn't help any as Hunter was back over the bowl puking again, four more times before it passed.

Trey looked at Andrew with concern now. "High fever, shaking, sweating, excessive vomiting, weak, abdominal pain. I don't like this, Andrew. Have Theo find someone. Hunter's way too sick for this to be a bug," he said as Andrew nodded and moved to the door quickly.

"Theo, get-" Andrew stopped looking back when he heard Hunter throwing up harshly again. "Find the medic or...anyone. Haddock needs help now," he said as Theo moved to the infirmary door and glanced outside to see if anyone was walking by. Thankfully, he saw a few members of Striker One.

"Conner!" Theo called as the small group of eight stopped and looked over, "Hunter is very ill. Find the medic or an officer and tell them we need help on the double,"

"Got it! Come on guys and girls," Conner replied as they dashed off to find anyone they could. Theo moved back inside and towards the bathroom then entered it. Fear was taking over Salvatore and Viola, they hurried in and the group right behind them. Hunter was in the first stall on the floor with his knees partially up and arms around his stomach while whimpering in pain almost. It wasn't hard to miss that Hunter looked like he was crying. The door to the stall was open with Treyden next to Hunter and Andrew trying to keep a rag on his forehead.

"Hang in there, Hunter," Andrew murmured, dabbing the rag on Hunter's forehead and cheeks while he panted hard with his eyes closed. "Help is on the way," he soothed.

"I don't understand why he's so sick! Hunter was not this sick when we left two hours ago and why is the doctor nowhere to be found!' Viola screeched with worry as Hunter cringed from the noise.

"Mrs. Haddock, I know you're worried for your son, and if I had those answers for you, I would give them, but I don't. Right now, my concern is Hunter so if you could calm down and stop yelling, that would be great," Treyden mentioned.

"This is obviously not a stomach bug; there's too much vomiting for it to be that. And I don't assume it's food poisoning or there would be others sick too. Flu perhaps, Hunter has or is showing all symptoms of that being the case," Theo suggested.

"It has to be more than that for him to be this ill," Andrew countered. "It came on too suddenly for the flu, he got everything at once. The worst of the flu hits around day three or four, and this is day one,"

"It doesn't matter what it is right now," Treyden shut them both up. "The bottom line is that Hunter is sick and getting worse as the time passes," Hunter's stomach tightened as he jerked a bit trying to keep from throwing up but it didn't last when he forced himself to a kneeling position from the ground and puked hard. Hunter coughed though it sounded like he was choking. Treyden was the closest to Hunter, so he tried to rub his friend's back hoping Hunter's nausea would pass. Hunter threw up four more times before he fell back against the stall panting hard. Treyden handed him a paper towel so he could wipe his mouth, Hunter did so and threw it in the toilet.

"We have to do something, you guys. I don't like the way he looks; he's pale. On top of that he's shaking, sweating, in pain, and Odin know how many times he's thrown up before we got here ten minutes ago, but this makes thirteen times since we arrived," Theo informed.

Andrew checked his forehead and frowned. "And his fever is high even with the coat off," Andrew stated while handing Hunter the cup of water that was sitting beside him. Hunter took a few sips and then two minutes later, he puked three more times before his arm was on the toilet seat and then his head on his arm while groaning and trying to catch his breath. Treyden reached over to flush the toilet so the smell wouldn't make Hunter throw up again.

"He can't even keep water down," Caitlyn cried a bit in worry for her elder brother.

Hunter eventually leaned back against the stall again, his eyes closed and head starting to fall. "No. No, Hunter. You have to stay awake right now," Treyden told Hunter by putting a hand on his shoulder which made Hunter open his eyes slowly for a moment and then they closed again. "Hunter! Come on, no sleeping. I know you're tired, but you have to stay up. Don't knock out on me," Treyden gave him a small shake to wake him up again.

"He's dehydrated, that's how he looked before he blacked out earlier on the field," Theo reminded.

"I know, that's why I'm trying to keep him awake until help gets here," Treyden remarked looking back at Hunter who was drifting off again, his eyes starting to move into the back of his head. "Hunt, wake up. You can't sleep," he snapped his fingers in front of Hunter which got his attention as he caught himself from falling over and then leaned forward to throw up again. This happened five times consecutively, afterward, Hunter was breathing heavily and trying to focus but couldn't. A minute passed and Hunter's eyes closed and his head dropped onto his arm, it appeared that he lost consciousness.

"Hunter?" Andrew asked. No response so Andrew gave him a light shake and still nothing. "Hunter!" No movement at all, Andrew looked at Treyden and Theo with worry. Treyden leaned forward to make sure he was still breathing, he was but barely. "Weak pulse," Andrew informed. "We've officially hit critical mode and if we don't do something fast..." he trailed off. Worried gasps were heard from Audrey, Caitlyn, and Viola. Renee was holding tightly to her brother as Heather was in her brother's arms with Fisher holding her hand for comfort.

"What are we supposed to do, Andrew? We have to call 911," Theo insisted, but Treyden shook his head no.

"Even if we call 911, it will take them too long to get here and then to the hospital. The nearest one is fifteen minutes away; we don't have that kind of time. Theo, grab what we need to start an IV line," Treyden told him, and Theo hurried out of the bathroom to get what Treyden asked for. "Andrew, help me with him," Andrew nodded as they carefully moved Hunter out of the stall and onto the floor where Andrew grabbed a couple of towels to keep Hunter's head propped up. Theo returned no more than a minute later and set everything up. Treyden took charge of locating a vein in Hunter's right arm then inserting the needle and hooking up the tube.

Once Treyden nodded to Theo, he turned the drip on to where it needed to be for Hunter. It started right away with Theo holding the bag from a standing position while Treyden kept a close watch on Hunter and Andrew continued to check pulse and breathing. For fifteen minutes, the room was eerily still and silent with eyes on Hunter for signs of regaining consciousness. At the thirty minute mark, the sound of quick steps came closer and then the door to the bathroom opened revealing the medic, Harry, and Asher.

Harry saw Hunter unconscious of the floor with Andrew holding Hunter's left wrist and keeping two fingers on it. Theo held a clear bag of liquid in his hand, a thin tube that carried the liquid through a fast drip connected to Hunter's arm with Treyden watching intently and keeping a damp rag on Hunter's forehead.

"The color's returning to his face," Theo pointed out.

"Breathing and pulse have returned to normal too," Andrew added as the two smiled at one another then Andrew put a hand on Treyden's shoulder. Before the medic, Harry, or Asher could ask what had happened; Hunter's still body began to stir as he gave a groan before opening his eyes slowly and then blinked a few times to regain focus of things and people around him.

"I demand some form of explanation immediately," Harry ordered stepping forward now.

"Treyden saved Hunter's life," Theo said calmly.

"I asked for an explanation," Harry said again in a firmer tone.

"We came back from lunch to check on Hunter, and he was in here throwing up with a high fever so we took his jacket off him and asked how long he had been in here and he said he woke up after the medic left. From when we arrived, Hunter vomited a total of eighteen times in a matter of twenty minutes. Hunter passed out and had a weak pulse along with barely breathing," Theo began.

"We didn't know where any of you were; we knew Hunter needed help, so Theo sent someone to get that. When Hunter knocked out, we were going to call 911, but Treyden said it would take too much time to wait for their arrival to get here, so he told Theo to get what was needed to start an IV line for fluids. Theo's been holding the bag, I've been watching Hunter's pulse, and breathing and Treyden has been keeping him cooled off with the rag. That was...thirty minutes ago we started the IV," Andrew finished the story.

"It is not your call what to provide as treatment especially when you didn't know what the problem was," Asher stated sternly.

"Hunter was dehydrated from all the throwing up and being unable to keep anything down, he also hadn't eaten since dinner yesterday," Theo tried quickly.

"Regardless, you're not authorized to make these kinds of decisions," Harry informed.

"Now hang on just a minute, Major Andersen. I don't think it's fair to be scolding these three for what they did when there wasn't another choice. My family and I, as well as Hunter's friends and girlfriend, have been standing here since this situation started. Andrew and Treyden went to check on Hunter and deemed on their own that he needed help. Sal began.

"And I'm proud that they sent for help but beyond that isn't their call to make," Harry stated.

"So it was wrong for them to make the decision that Hunter might have died if they waited for EMT's or you to arrive, so they gave him what he needed?" Audrey asked as Harry was about to give a response and she cut in again. "With all do your respect, sir, don't give them a hard time for doing what they were trained to do. Treyden, Theo, and Andrew's actions are the reason my boyfriend is alive right now,"

"Treyden, Andrew, and Theo saved my son's life, Major Andersen. It took thirty minutes of those fluids going before Hunter's vitals to return to normal, for him to wake up. And if Treyden, Andrew, and Theo had not started that IV line thirty minutes ago, Hunter would be dead right now because it took seven minutes short of a full hour for you three to arrive here after help was sent for. Also, add the fact that your on-base medic was not at her station and all this could have been avoided. Do not scold those soldiers for what they did; it saved my son's life, and I am eternally grateful," Salvatore remarked as Audrey, Shane, Caitlyn nodded in agreement, the group of friends minus Eddie and Drew gave firm looks as well. Viola was just worried about Hunter.

Finally, Harry sighed looking back to Treyden, Andrew, and Theo. "You will not be disciplined for your actions and I believe a job well done is in order,"

"Thank you," the three replied bowing their heads. As the medical woman began checking his pulse, breathing, and temperature.

"We should get him to the cot so so I can check things more thoroughly," the medic said. "Are you able to move, Hunter?" she asked.

"With help, I could," Hunter whispered. Treyden and Andrew moved to either side of him to get him sitting up and then to his feet but being mindful of his arm which had the IV still going. The others moved out of the way as Andrew kept an arm around Hunter's waist and kept Hunter's left arm over his Andrew's shoulders. Treyden kept Hunter's right arm straight while using his free arm around Hunter's waist while Theo followed with the bag as they reached the cot slowly and set Hunter down gently then helped him lay down while Theo hooked the bag to the stand.

"Need anything?" Treyden asked.

"I think...I'm okay right now. You guys...gonna stick around after she checks me?" Hunter questioned.

"We'll all be right outside waiting," Andrew nodded. After that, the doctor made everyone leave so she could examine Hunter and they all waited outside the infirmary where Salvatore again thanked the boys for what they did. Twenty minutes had passed before the woman allowed them back in to be updated, right away they saw Hunter asleep, so that was their indicator to keep it down.

"How is he, Chelsea?" Harry inquired first.

"Well, there's nothing that warrants needing to go to the hospital. The illness itself is the flu; the vomiting was due to the flu, but the excessive throwing up was from being severely dehydrated just as privates Fury, Kingston, and Vollan stated beforehand. The three of them were not wrong to provide Hunter with the IV fluids even if not authorized to do so. Hunter told me how he felt before falling asleep; weak, tired, nauseated, dry mouth, sweating, shaking, fever, the body aches but mainly centered in his stomach. I've changed out the bag and set it to a slower drip, so he's still getting what he needs to stay hydrated. For everything else, I gave him aspirin and something to keep down nausea." Chelsea enlightened calmly.

"So the illness now is just the flu which he should recover from in three to four days?" Viola asked.

"That's correct. I'll continue the IV fluids while he sleeps and then once he wakes up we can try water again. As long as he can keep that down, he won't get dehydrated again. The rest of recovery will likely be sleeping, and I will probably keep him here over that duration, so no one else catches it, though, most of you are already susceptible to getting it since you've been around him all this time. You three especially," Chelsea motioned to Treyden, Theo, and Andrew.

"That's our fault; we chose to stay close because we knew he needed help and we weren't abandoning him," Theo informed.

"That makes you three magnificent friends to Hunter," Chelsea smiled. "As for his family, I do believe it's been quite a long day, and Hunter will be out a while so it might be in your best interests to return home. When Hunter wakes up, I'm sure he will call you to let you knew he's okay."

"Aye, we discussed that outside. We are aware Hunter needs his rest to get better before AIT starts, so we'll head back to Berkton," Salvatore replied with a nod.

"Don't you worry, Hunter is in good hands," Treyden assured them when he saw Viola, Caitlyn, and Audrey give worried looks about leaving Hunter there while he was sick after everything that just happened. The girls nodded as Sal led them out of the infirmary and to the parking lot with Asher as their escort. Harry left soon afterward, and then Chelsea went to handle other things. "We should go too,"

Nodding in agreement, the three boys prepared to leave. "I owe you three my life," came Hunter's voice as they turned around and saw Hunter's eyes open and looking at them. "Thank you for today," he added tiredly.

"You would have done the same for any of us," Andrew smiled.

"He has done the same for us, think we would have survived those punishments he took the fall for?" Theo laughed a little. Treyden knelt down and gave a light tap to Hunter's knuckles with his own.

"You're our best friend, Hunter and we'll always have your back," Treyden told him. "Get some rest, and we'll come see ya tomorrow," Hunter gave a small nod with a smile before closing his eyes, and the other three left the infirmary. Hunter drifted back to sleep with only the thought that he had the best friends in the entire world.


	10. Some Time Off

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Some Time Off

It took Hunter four days total of recovery before Chelsea the medic released him back to the barrack. Deeming him no longer contagious and for the most part over the flu when Hunter was able to keep down breakfast, lunch, and dinner without feeling nauseated and throwing up plus his fever had stayed gone for twenty-four hours. The days before that, Hunter would eat but throw it up later or just sleep. It worked out that he healed up when he did because AIT started August 29th. The same day his would be Sophomore year started, so he knew his girlfriend, sister, cousin, and friends were back in school and would call them when he could.

As briefed the night before, AIT lasted four weeks total and ended today, September 23rd. And a bonus after the small ceremony for the soldiers who completed AIT for infantry; Hunter made Sergeant First Class. It was funny for Hunter when he was allowed back to the A-One barrack, his friends were all over him about making Sergeant but as it turned out; Hunter learned that Treyden, Andrew, and Theo didn't graduate BCT as Privates either. Andrew and Theo made Private First Class, and Treyden reached Corporal. The rest of Hunter's squadron remained Privates, and now their training was officially over! Gods, Hunter hoped they would be stationed close to home. Not that it mattered, the farthest place was Huntsmar, and everything else was within a ten to forty minute drive.

"You have all come such a long way since you arrived here four weeks ago and for some, it was thirteen weeks ago for Basic and Advanced Training. But here you are now, graduated as soldiers of the Archi Island Army, and we know you'll do your home proud. Now, I have your first duty station assignment, and I'm sure you will all be pleased to know that you will station to the base in or closest to your hometown. The only time you will report here to Fort Draco is for drill, and that will be held the first weekend of every month." Harry announced to the Hooligan platoon with Richard and Victor beside him facing the soldiers.

"Yes. You will arrive promptly at 5 am Friday morning in your Physical Training clothing, and you will also bring your ACU and Class A uniforms as we use the weekend to go over anything from Basic or AIT. You will stay on the base until Sunday at 5 pm and then you are free to return home," Victor informed.

"The towns with stations are aware who is coming and you should have a letter sitting on your beds from that base to tell you when you will start work. As far as I understand, you are all given a week of down time with your families first. That being said, at this time you are dismissed and can go home. We'll see you all back here first weekend in October, which is...in a week so you probably aren't starting your new jobs until the Monday following the end of drill," Richard smiled.

Hunter was beyond happy; he didn't care if he had to be back at Fort Draco in a week for drill because got a whole week off to be with his family and friends! As for working, the stationing orders meant he would work from Berkton and so would Andrew, Theo, and Treyden since their towns were no more than fifteen minutes away. Also, Zander and Nikolas would be with us too. The others would be at the base closest to them but none of them were more than forty minutes away which was something to be grateful for. Finally, he could go home! It was only 11 am so by the time he got packed up and back to Berkton, he would be just in time to surprise his sister, girlfriend, and friends at school for lunch hour and then he could go see his father since Hunter knew his mother wouldn't be home until after 5 pm at the earliest and he wouldn't bother her at work.

In a surprise turn of events, Hunter learned after waking up later that night on graduation day from BCT that his father had Shane drive up Hunter's truck on family day for him and leave it parked there so Hunter would have a way home after AIT, if he got the time off. Hunter was happy to know that, it meant he wouldn't have to catch a ride with anyone or take a taxi. Hunter split off from the platoon to get his bag packed and get on the road. Fifteen minutes later, he was done and heading to the parking lot to get go home. Hunter opened the door and grabbed his keys from the glove compartment as he started it up and rolled the windows down to air it out, it had been sitting there for a month but at least it had a full tank of gas. Hunter put his belt on and headed out of the base. In thirty to forty minutes, he would home.

(Berk Academy)

Just as he planned, in his hometown by lunch time. It was 12:15 pm as he pulled into a visitor spot and parked. Hunter kept the windows open a bit and locked the truck up as he headed into the building and got signed in with a guest pass and greeted by some of the office staff before looking across hall to the lunch room doors. Hunter fully expected to be tackled by his sister and Audrey which was fine with him. Hunter moved to room and stepped in, if memory served then his group sat in the middle on the left side. Hunter smiled as he walked around to the center aisle and continued down closer to the middle.

Shane, Renee, and Travis were able to see Hunter right away, but he put a finger up so they'd be quiet and act normal. Hunter moved directly behind Audrey and Caitlyn but leaving enough room so they wouldn't crash into him when they turned around. "Hey, how come no one saved me a seat?" Hunter said sarcastically. Instantly, Audrey and Caitlyn whipped around in their chairs to see Hunter standing there with a smile and still in his ACU.

"HUNTER!" Caitlyn and Audrey cried out together as they got to their feet, Audrey hung back a little to let Caitlyn go first since Hunter was her older brother. Caitlyn instantly jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist and Hunter hugged her tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder crying.

"Come on, knock off the tears. I was only away at training for a little over three months, and you saw me four weeks ago," Hunter chuckled as Caitlyn lowered her legs and he placed her down, then kissed her forehead as she used her palms to wipe her eyes after stepping back so Audrey could hug Hunter next. Of course, Audrey was greeted with a tight hug and deep kiss that made her cheeks red.

"And we barely got to hear from you cuz, can't expect them not to cry," Shane said as he shook Hunter's hand and they shared a quick hug. "Welcome home,"

"Thanks, hey guys," Hunter waved to the others and then took his hat off and put it in his pocket.

"Well, you look a lot better than you did a month ago," Renee mentioned about the last time they saw Hunter he was sick with the flu.

"How long were you sick for after we left?" Travis asked.

"Four days, sorry I didn't call. Started AIT the next day after the medic let me leave the infirmary," Hunter informed.

"We know you were busy. So, I take it this is just leave time?" Fisher inquired.

"One week, then back to Fort Draco for drill and after that, I start working," Hunter replied with a nod.

"Drill?" Caitlyn asked.

"Weekend of training. 5 am Friday morning to 5 pm Sunday night, the first weekend of every month to keep our skills sharp if we're deployed or something along those lines," Hunter responded as she nodded understanding now.

"And where will you be working, or where are you stationed?" Shane questioned.

"Right here in Berkton. I'll be able to come home every night, and I get the weekends off, except for the drill ones. Not sure on the hours yet, it's in the letter that I left if my truck," Hunter smiled.

"Oh, thank the Gods you get to be here," Audrey laid her head on his shoulder, and he kissed her forehead.

"Mom and Dad know you're home?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Nope. Came right straight to the school so I could see all of you for lunch and I know Mom likely won't have a minute with her job, so I'll go see Dad and unpack after you return to class," Hunter answered.

"You should go see Mom, I'm sure her boss wouldn't mind," Heather offered.

"Easier to wait. Besides, I could use a nap first. I've been up since 5 am Thursday," Hunter stated.

"How in the name of Thor are you even functioning? That's like thirty-one hours," Drew blinked.

"Because I'm trained to do so. AIT is used for preparing the soldier if deployed overseas where it could be required to stay up for extended hours in a fight, mission, patrol, or guard," Hunter retorted.

"But...you're not deploying right?" Audrey asked quickly.

"Not that I've heard of so far but the possibility is always there which is why we're trained first and keep on it with drill weekend," Hunter shrugged as she sighed with some relief.

"Where would they send you if you were?" Eddie questioned curiously.

"I don't know. Wherever we're needed I suppose," Hunter glanced at him.

"Such as?" Renee tried.

"Well, theoretically speaking we could deploy anywhere in Europe, East and Southeast Asia, West Asia and North Africa, or Central and South Asia. But from what I understand; ten to one we would move to the ongoing wars located in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Lybia, Syria, and Nigeria," Hunter replied.

"We hear about all those wars on the news, it's terrifying. I hope you don't end up in one of them," Caitlyn said with worry.

"We all hope for that, but for now he's home where he belongs so let's enjoy it," Shane said with a smile.

"Amen to that," the other friends agreed with a smile and for the remainder of lunch they hung out like old times until it ended where they all bid him a goodbye, Caitlyn, Shane, and Audrey got hugs but Audrey got a kiss too and Hunter said he would see them later. After that, Hunter headed home to see his father who was very exicted to see him and demanded to know how everything went. Hunter told him all he wanted to know and by then Hunter grabbed something to eat, a shower, and went to bed to sleep because he was beat.

(Sunday; 9/25/2016)

As Hunter had fully expected, his mother was overjoyed to come home Friday night from work and find Hunter's truck in the driveway and then Hunter sitting on the couch with Caitlyn and Salvatore. Viola hugged him tightly and burst into tears, almost refusing to let him go until Sal had her step back so Hunter could catch his breath and the rest of that night was Hunter telling again about drill and when he started work at the Berkton base. On Saturday, Sal and Viola invited everyone over for a welcome home party to celebrate Hunter's training being over and that he wouldn't be far from any of them while working. Shane and his parents came, Audrey, Renee, Travis, Heather, and Fisher did too. Hunter was glad that Eddie and Drew didn't because Hunter felt like they just killed the happy atmosphere.

The party was a blast. Music, fun, talking, and food obviously and thankfully, it wasn't cold so they got to enjoy it outside and Sal could grill up some hot dogs and burgers. It was the most fun Hunter had in a long time, and he went to bed that night glad to be home and knowing he would get to spend all day today, Sunday, with his girlfriend. Audrey had asked if they could have a day together, just the two of them and Hunter couldn't tell her no since he wanted the same. The next week, his friends, Caitlyn, and Audrey would be in school from 7 am to 2 pm so his day would likely be spent with Salvatore, or maybe he'd see his other friends because they lived within in ten minutes away.

It was about 7:30 pm now, Audrey and Hunter spent the whole day together doing whatever they could starting at 10 am when most things would be open for business. Hunter took Audrey mini golfing, then they went onto taking a walk in the park with a picnic-style lunch around 11:45 pm. After that, Audrey suggested they go rollerblading at the rink so that became a thing for an hour or so until 2 pm. Hunter said that for his remaining time off, he would come see them at lunch since it was likely he wouldn't be allowed once he started working and Audrey was happy about that. The rest of their day was spent getting ice cream around 3 pm, going to dinner at 4:30, then a movie at 6 pm.

Finally, they were alone at Audrey's house since her parents were out with friends until 10 pm. Hunter and Audrey were sitting on the couch watching television or at least the TV was on, and they were in an intense make-out session that involved Audrey laying on the sofa with Hunter on top of her. By now, the two of them would have stopped after fifteen minutes, yet, they hadn't because they were enjoying the freedom of being alone and no one to bother them. It was true that Hunter and Audrey had talked about the possibility of having sex before but agreed to wait until after they had been together a year at least and that they both took precautions to ensure Audrey wouldn't get pregnant.

Their make out sessions had gotten heated before where they were touching one another, and once or twice them indulging in a little foreplay to relax the sexual tension. Audrey would give Hunter a blow job, and he would finger and eat her out. Of course, no one knew they did those things because Odin knew what kind of trouble it would start. Salvatore already assumed that Hunter and Audrey were having sex once, but they weren't because they used ways that didn't involve intercourse because hormones did take over for two sixteen-year-olds. Audrey and Hunter had both masturbated before, neither of them ashamed to admit to such, it was natural and they knew that but still something they didn't want anyone else knowing.

However, when the two lovers reached the mark where they had been together for a full year, Hunter took it upon himself to make sure he had condoms. Hunter had a box containing eight hidden in his nightstand which locked shut, and then two in his wallet for those just in case moments Ones like now where they were both turned on, knew it could go farther if they didn't stop and at the same time, didn't want to stop. Hunter broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, both of them breathing hard.

"My room?" Audrey asked as Hunter nodded then he backed up off of her and she sat up before they both left the living room and moved to Audrey's, which she locked the door once they were inside of it. Hunter instantly captured her lips again and pressed her back against the door while her arms locked around his neck and the making out continued. At some point, they away from the door as Audrey moved her hands down the front of his chest and to the bottom of his shirt to take it off of him, then Hunter copied her by taking Audrey's shirt and bra off while backing her up towards her bed, then laying her down.

 **(AudreyXHunter Lemon)**

With Audrey on the bed and Hunter over her, his kisses trailed along her jawline and to her neck as she moaned out when his hands reached her breasts and began massaging them lightly. Of course, this is how it always started between them when they were going to use foreplay to relax one another. Audrey let soft moans escape her lips when Hunter massaged one breast and teased the other with his mouth and tongue, then a minute later he switched to do the same to the other one. Hunter moved lower, planting kisses down her midsection until he reached her jeans and started to undo the button and pull down the zipper, then he removed her pants and underwear together. Audrey blushed like always, they had seen one another naked plenty of times though.

Hunter sat back on his knees while running his fingers gently over her womanhood to find her already wet; Hunter smiled as he slid a finger between her folds up and down a few times before pushing it within her core and earning a louder moan from his girlfriend. "Ah, Hunter..." Audrey spread her legs a bit more for him, and Hunter pulled back his finger then pushed back in with two, and he felt Audrey tighten and moan out again. Hunter fixed himself so he was laying on his stomach and his face was level with her womanhood, then he pressed a kiss to it before starting to lick up and down. "Gods, yes," Audrey gripped the bed sheets with her hips bucking a little.

Withdrawing his fingers, Hunter used his thumbs to spread her lips apart so he would have more access to eat her out the way he knew she loved, with Hunter's tongue giving particular attention to her clit while he fingered her at the same time. Audrey moaned loud, panting, and running her fingers through what small amount of hair Hunter had left after the military cut. Seven minutes went by of Hunter licking and sucking at her sensitive pink nub and fingering her hard and fast before she told him she was cumming and that happened when she arched her back slightly and nearly screamed out from the pleasure, but thankfully Audrey turned her head and moaned into the pillow.

With a smile, he pulled back and wiped his mouth while Audrey laid there trying to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she sat up and kissed him while working her hands down to Hunter's pants to remove them. He got the idea what she wanted to do so he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her down with him, so Hunter was on the bed with her over him this time. Audrey smiled as she knelt between his legs after taking off his pants and boxers which revealed his erect length before her, Audrey lightly took it in her hand and began to stroke up and down causing Hunter to moan a bit. Continuing her actions, she lowered her mouth over his length and began to bob her head up and down.

"Audrey..." Hunter moaned while closed his eyes and relaxing as she went about doing what she wanted with him. Audrey began to suck and stroke him, occasionally licking around the tip as well up and down the length making her boyfriend pant and moan while each movement brought him closer to release. Ten minutes passed as Hunter put his hand on her head, her indicator that he was going to cum soon. Audrey began to stroke faster, bringing his length from the back of her throat to the front a few times and Hunter let go. His hips bucked and he came quickly as Audrey swallowed and licked him clean. Audrey smiled as she sat back to let him calm down, Hunter laid there with his eyes closed still, length twitching and still hard.

Biting her bottom lip of what she wanted to do, she crawled over him and sat on his hips then rubbed her womanhood against his length which forced Hunter to open his eyes quickly. "What are you doing babe?" Hunter asked.

"I want you, Hunter. Can we go all the way tonight, please?" Audrey asked. Hunter was a bit surprised and yet at the same time he wasn't. Hunter sat up as Audrey climbed off and sat on her knees next to him.

"Are you on birth control?" Hunter questioned looking at her seriously.

"Yes. My parents made me get on it when Freshman year started, its the IUD one that stays in for five years," Audrey replied.

"And you're sure you want and are ready to?" Hunter arched a brow and Audrey nodded to him with a smile. Hunter reached for his pants and got his wallet, then pulled out one of the condoms. "I started carrying one or two around just before we hit a year together," he told her with a shrug then leaned in and kissed her deeply as she laid down bringing him with her. Hunter moved to sitting on his knees again as he tore the top off the wrapper and pulled the condom out then slid it on himself and punched the top free of air, he tossed the wrapper on Audrey's nightstand and crawled over her once more. Hunter spread her legs and positioned himself to enter her core by using one arm to balance and the other hand holding his length in place.

"I'm ready," Audrey told him softly.

"If it starts to hurt, let me know, and I'll slow down," Hunter stated as Audrey nodded and Hunter began pushing within her. Audrey tensed at first but relaxed, and Hunter kept going until he used the last bit of the way just to push in fast. It only hurt for few seconds then Hunter used both hands to keep himself up while Audrey spread her legs more with a smile and Hunter began to rock his hips slowly. Audrey put her hands on his arms and started moaning softly. "Does it feel good?"

"Feels...amazing," Audrey panted. Hunter smiled, glad she wasn't hurting and enjoying it because he was too. After a little time had passed, Audrey asked if he could go faster and harder so Hunter adjusted to he would be able to do that for her, and it was worth it because it felt ideal for both. At some point, Hunter sat back on his knees and buried himself deeper within her core by keeping his hands on her legs to spread them without hurting her and thrust harder, faster, and deeper. Audrey loved it; her moans were the only proof he needed of that. Hunter and Audrey kept at this for thirty minutes, trying different things during that period.

Audrey had been on top once; Hunter had been next to her with Audrey on her side and one leg up. Another position was Hunter behind Audrey who was on her hands and knees. But when both neared their climaxes a second time, they were back to Audrey on her back with Hunter over her. "Audrey..." Hunter groaned a bit, "I'm gonna cum again," he told her.

"M-Me too, Hunter...Gods, it feels too good!' Audrey moaned as Hunter kissed her passionately while thrusting hard into her. Audrey bucked her hips into him and tightened her walls around his length; it was all it took for both of them to be ready. "Hunter! I'm cumming," Audrey panted out while holding his arms tightly and letting go, she arched her back.

"So am...I," Hunter grunted at the feeling of her tightening around him and released quickly. Both of them were panting hard, soaked with a thin layer of sweat, and riding out their orgasms. Hunter kissed her lightly before sitting up and holding the condom to pull out of her. Carefully, Hunter took it off his length then tied it and placed it in the opened wrapper from before. Hunter buried it in Audrey's bedroom garbage before grabbing a towel so Audrey could clean up first and then when she was done, he did the same. The two got themselves dressed and laid in bed, cuddling tightly and feeling great that they just spent an hour making love to one another even if they only had intercourse for half of it.

 **(End Lemon)**

For twenty minutes, they laid in Audrey's bed sharing small kisses before Audrey heard her phone vibrating on the floor. When she checked it, she saw a text from her mother saying they were on their way home early and would be there in ten minutes. Moving quickly, Audrey and Hunter cleaned everything up and looked presentable before leaving the bedroom and returning to the couch and putting something on to watch just as her parents came home and smiled seeing them relaxing during a movie. Relieved that Audrey's parents didn't suspect a thing, they finished out their time together and then Hunter went home around 9 pm since Audrey had school tomorrow morning and both of them were exhausted from the events that took place earlier. When Hunter got home, he crawled into bed with a broad smile on his his face.

Today and tonight had been perfect. All day with Audrey and they got to make love for the first time, nothing had gone wrong, and Hunter was sure it was going to happen again. While falling asleep, Hunter realized that tomorrow started his week of vacation where he could enjoy some time off.


	11. Notified

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Notified

Life was fantastic for Hunter since the night where he and Audrey made love for the first time. Of course, not a soul knew about it. Hunter nor Audrey wanted to deal with the questions from friends or scoldings by parents. Hunter knew his father would not be too pleased since Hunter had said back in May that he would come to them with questions regarding the matter of sexual intercourse. Hunter was able to take care of things himself with research for the most part, and he bought condoms just for the occasion where Audrey might decide she wanted to go all the way one night when they were alone for an extended amount of time. Such became the case that Sunday after Hunter got home from training and everything went fine between them. Hunter and Audrey had sex with each other at least twice a week since then, and it never got boring for them.

That first week of leave had been fantastic and annoying at the same time given the fact that Caitlyn, Audrey, Renee, Travis, Shane, Fisher, and Heather were all in school, so Hunter spent a lot of time with his father or Treyden, Theo, and Andrew since they weren't far. Hunter went through the October drill weekend just fine; it was mainly a review of Basic protocol to go through exercises, then marching commands, gun work, and more. When the weekend was over, Hunter started working at the Berkton base where his days were filled with inventory, cleaning, guard, and so much more. There was never a dull day, and there were secondary things he could advance in training for so that kept up most of the time. Hunter would go to work at 6 am and be home by 6 pm. Yes, a long twelve hour day for him.

It was nearing the November drill weekend now, one week away in fact. Hunter was at work with his friends; they were on lunch hour and happy to be sitting down to relax.

"Finally," Andrew grumbled.

"That sucked. I wonder why there are so many shipments of things to sort through and inventory lately," Treyden pondered aloud.

"Who knows but we've only been at this for a month now, so I don't think it's so bad. They could have us on cleaning duty," Conner informed.

"He's got a decent point," Nikolas mentioned while they all put their lunches down to eat. "What do you think Hunter?" No answer as he was zoned in on his cell phone. "Hunter?" he tried again. Andrew smacked Hunter's arm to get his attention.

"Huh? What?" Hunter looked at them quickly with confusion.

"You zoned out man," Theo chuckled.

"Sorry, it works out that Audrey and I both get lunch around the same time and she was asking if I'm coming over tonight," Hunter replied.

"Are you?" Conner inquired.

"Eh, I might. I'm kind of tired today, so I might just go home, grab dinner and a shower, then go to sleep," Hunter shrugged.

"You're not getting sick again, right?" Treyden asked arching a brow.

"No. Will you get off my ass about that? Geeze it was like months ago," Hunter retorted. "I told you a thousand times that everything just came on suddenly," he muttered.

"That is entirely beside the point, Hunter. The three of us," Andrew motioned to Treyden, Theo, and himself, "offered to get Richard for you. And again during the ceremony, Treyden suggested getting help and you rejected both saying you were fine when you weren't, and then everything got worse. That was scary for your group of people and us too,"

"I didn't think it was bad enough until after I passed out. I've had the flu before and was never able not to drink water to stay hydrated," Hunter informed. "Either way, no, I'm not sick. Just tired and getting adjusted to these twelve hour days we work since we do something different every day and by the time I get home, dinner is made, and everyone wants to hang out for a bit," he sighed.

"Well, you gotta remind them that you're a busy guy now and occasionally need your nights off," Nikolas tried.

"Yeah, maybe I'll have to resort to that because I just can't keep up with trying to see everyone. I mean I come here for 6 am, the one hour lunch, then home by 6 pm. Tuesdays and Thursday, my family and my cousin's family have dinner together for 6:30 pm and that lasts until 8-ish. Any other night, my girl or other friends want to hang out til 9 pm since they have school at 7 am. And on the weekends, everyone wants to spend time with me, so I get no time off, not even drill weekend once a month," Hunter mumbled.

"It all comes from the fact that one day came and you were just gone, remember? They all believed you were at summer camp and learned you joined the army. Plus added to the fact that you got ill on graduation day and it must have been terrifying for them to see you that sick and could have died, Hunter," Theo reminded.

"And I understand that but as I said; it was months ago. We all know it was the flu accompanied by serious dehydration from the heat and throwing up. I get it was scary, it panicked me when I woke up and you three were telling Andersen about it," Hunter replied.

"Just say you need days to yourself too, Hunt. Hang with them on the weekends. Friday night with friends, Saturday with your family, Sunday with your girl or something. But you can't be running yourself ragged like this to please everyone, not good for your health," Conner mentioned.

"True. So, what were you talking about before I zoned out?" Hunter asked while getting out his half of a grinder along with a water bottle, and a small bowl of fruit.

"Treyden had been wondering why all the shipments of stuff we've been having to sort through and count up," Andrew smiled.

"Well, it's all guns, gear, boots, helmets, vests, canteens, ammunition, so on and so forth right? Maybe it's being sent to soldiers who are deployed or just stored as a backup," Hunter suggested.

"Could be a reason as to why I suppose," Treyden gave a shrug of his shoulders. "What is everyone's plans for Thanksgiving?" he asked.

"Family stuff. Gotta go to Mom's and Dad's houses for both sides since they apparently finalized the divorce while I was at AIT," Nikolas sighed, "Even being nineteen, I still gotta deal with it,"

"It keeps the peace just to put on the smile and go," Conner patted his shoulder, "My parents are hosting this year, so my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins will be at my house," he added.

"Probably just gonna be my Dad and me," Theo stated. "How about you Andrew?"

"With the family again, final details haven't been made. You Hunter?" Andrew passed the question along.

"Same. Probably my house with my cousin Shane, aunt and uncle over. My girl wants to stop over with her family for desserts after they do their thing at her Uncle Finn's place. The gang might drop by too, not sure. Told them we'd hang out the day after or over the weekend if they couldn't," Hunter shrugged. "You guys are more than welcome to as well," he invited.

"Thanks, Hunter, we'll see what's up. If not, we'll catch up for December drill," Nikolas smiled.

"For sure," Hunter nodded then looked at Treyden who seemed to be quieter than before. "What are your plans my friend, you started the question," he chuckled a little.

"Oh, uh, just gonna be me," Treyden murmured while glancing down some.

"Just you?" Nikolas inquired.

"Dad is deployed and my...Mom passed away," Treyden closed his eyes sadly.

"Oh, Gods. I'm sorry, Trey," Theo said quickly.

"It's okay. You guys didn't know, I never mentioned it. Still fresh, ya know?" Trey gave a small smile.

"Of course," Andrew asked as Treyden nodded. "What...happened? It's okay if you don't wanna say,"

"My mom passed away just this past January; she's part of the reason I joined the army. Mom was too, and she was KIA," Treyden informed gently. "My Dad is A.I.N. He returned to active duty in June after I shipped off for Basic, I know he is about to deploy on a Destroyer ship for a year in the East China Sea and leaving while I'm at drill. Dad is a Senior Petty Officer, and Mom was Combat Medic Specialist deployed in Syria, an RPG hit while she was helping others," he explained.

"Wow man. I'm so sorry. So it hasn't even been a year yet," Andrew frowned.

"Mom died doing what she loved to do, helping others. It hurts that she's gone, but I know that she saved so many others," Treyden stated. "So it will be just me,"

"I'm sure she's real proud of you for joining and your dad returning to active duty to continue serving," Hunter smiled some as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "And hey, you don't have to spend Thanksgiving alone. You're more than welcome to join my and my family, Trey. I mean that." he added.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Trey replied.

"Nonsense. My room is big enough to sleep four, and I refuse to let you spend Thanksgiving by yourself," Hunter told him.

"You're not giving me a choice, are you?" Trey asked arching a brow as Hunter shook his head, "Fine," he agreed with a sigh. From there, the six of them ate their lunches and continued talking about personal lives and then it was back to work until 6 pm when they clocked out and left to return to their homes.

(Haddock Household)

It was Friday night, 6:15 pm when Hunter arrived at his parent's house. As expected, Audrey and his friends were over to hang out, and Hunter was just ready for bed but he guessed a little time with them wouldn't hurt. Next weekend he would be at drill and then Thanksgiving two weeks after that, he could hardly wait. Especially now that he was having Treyden join them-which he still needed to inform his parents about. Parking his truck in the driveway, he shut it off along with the headlights then moved in the door and was greeted instantly.

"Hunter, there ya are, son," Salvatore smiled and hugged him tightly as Hunter cringed slightly at the force on his sore body and Sal let go. "Hurt yourself at work?"

"Eh, just sore, Dad. We've been off-loading a lot of gear and having to sort through and inventory it since we started last month," Hunter replied.

"Want me to give you massage babe?" Audrey offered as she hugged him after Caitlyn and Viola had.

"Might take you up on that, Milady," Hunter smiled as he gave her a light kiss. "Oh, Dad?"

"What's up son?" Salvatore inquired.

"Would you and Mom mind if I let Trey stay here a few days through Thanksgiving?" Hunter asked so he wouldn't forget to do it later.

"Well, I think his family would want him home," Viola mentioned.

"Treyden's Dad is deploying next week and his Mom...as I found out at lunch earlier, passed away in January, so he's kind'a gonna be alone this year," Hunter cooed.

"His dad is military too?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah. So was his mom. Trey's Dad is Archi Island Navy, deploying on a Destroyer ship for a year in the East China Sea. And his Mom was a Combat Medic Specialist, KIA in Syria just this past January. Trey's Dad went back to active duty when Trey left for Basic, well Reception I suppose it would be. He doesn't have other relatives on the island, and I didn't want him to spend Thanksgiving alone, so I offered for him to come here," Hunter explained.

"The poor guy," Renee and Heather frowned.

"That's fine son. What a thoughtful thing to do for him," Sal patted Hunter's back now. "Bring him over on Wednesday, and he can stay til Friday,"

"How does he take care of himself with his parents both gone?" Viola questioned.

"I think his Dad and transfers money to him for the house payment and bills, but Trey uses his paycheck for gas, food, insurance and what not," Hunter shrugged.

"He's only sixteen," Viola mentioned.

"So? I'm sixteen too, but I could leave the house and get an apartment if I wanted to because I got my GED and joined the Army, I'm emancipated from you and Dad. The only thing I can't do is smoke and drink until I'm eighteen," Hunter informed.

"Like you make enough to survive out there in your own place plus bills," Eddie remarked. "You need like $1,200 to make it anywhere on this island,"

"Being that I'm a Sergeant First Class, I make $2,875," Hunter remarked with his arms over his chest.

"A year, that sucks," Drew snickered.

"Maybe that's what you make a year, but I make that every month," Hunter retorted as Eddie and Drew stopped laughing instantly and looked at him in shock.

"Wait, when did you make that rank? Weren't you only Sergeant at BCT grad?" Sal blinked.

"Hm? Didn't I tell you I got promoted after AIT?" Hunter asked as a majority of the group shook their heads. "Oh. Well, I made SFC when AIT ended," he shrugged.

"Hah, that's my boy!" Sal cheered happily hugging him again.

"Trey is Corporal, Andrew and Theo are Private First Class. We're the only four in the Hooligan platoon that didn't graduate as privates," Hunter informed.

"Why don't you get changed, Hunter and then we can have dinner. Made your favorite," Viola smiled.

"Did you or Dad make it?" Hunter asked.

Viola huffed a bit, "Your father made it,"

Hunter put a hand over his chest breathing a sigh of relief, "Thank the Gods. I'll get to live another day," he chuckled as Viola hurled the remote at Hunter, but he ended up catching it and tossing it back with a smile. "Nice try, Mom," he winked before headed down the hall to his room to change. Hunter returned ten minutes later wearing black sweat pants and a gray short sleeve that read; **ARMY** on across the front with his dog tags hanging down as dinner was served and they enjoyed a quiet meal together with everyone talking how their day went. When dinner was just about over, Hunter's cell phone rang playing the chorus of 'We Are Soldiers' as the tone. Hunter got up to get it when his mother glanced over.

"No phones during dinner, Hunter," Viola reminded.

"Leave him be, Vi. Hunter has to check every call; you know that." Sal sighed heavily and motioned for Hunter to get his phone and Hunter grabbed it off the living room table and returned to the kitchen while pressing answer before putting it to his ear.

"Hello," Hunter greeted calmly with a smile, and then it faded while he listened. "Yes, Lieutenant Holgerson, I understand and will relay those orders to Striker One and see you soon, sir," he stated firmly. "You as well," he added a moment later before ending the call and closing his eyes.

"Hunter?" Salvatore asked slowly as Hunter glanced over and Sal seemed to already understand the look in Hunter's eyes without anything being said out loud. "When?"

"I don't know yet," Hunter replied quietly as he lifted the phone and held the home button a moment before it beeped. "Call Striker One," he stated, and then the phone responded with; _Calling Striker One_.

"What's going on?" Viola asked as Hunter put his finger up to his lips for them to be quiet.

" _Hunter! What's up and why are we on group call?"_ came Danielle's voice.

"You'll find out in a second, Dani. The roll call of the squad; Treyden, Theo, Andrew, Liz, Amanda, Conner, Nikolas, Amber, Dani, Jay, and Zander?" Hunter listed off and received a here after each name he called.

" _Hunt, a group call is only used for..."_ Jay began, and Hunter sighed.

"I know, Jay. I wouldn't use it unless directed to and Holgerson gave that order. Listen up Striker One, we've got a mobilization alert," Hunter said firmly as Caitlyn, Viola, and Audrey gasped in fear with wide eyes. Mobilization alert meant deployment.

" _Orders, Sergeant Haddock?"_ Andrew inquired.

"Report to Fort Draco on within the next hour, dressed in ACU. No excuses. Is that understood?" Hunter stated.

" _Sir, yes sir!"_ the other eleven soldiers on the call replied.

"I will see you all in an hour," Hunter closed his eyes again and ended the call after everyone confirmed they would see him then. Hunter took a deep breath before looking over to the others, seeing the worried faces but he didn't say anything to them. Hunter left the kitchen to go to his room and get changed into an ACU, then reached the living room to get on his boots while everyone watched him silently. Hunter placed his tags in his coat, then the hat over his head while grabbing his keys off the hook.

"You're not...leaving tonight, are you?" Audrey forced herself to ask.

"Likely not this very night. I'll be back later, don't wait up because I don't know how long this is going to take," Hunter said as he kissed her forehead then left the house, got in his truck, and was gone a minute later. Leaving his family, friends, and girlfriend worried.

(For Draco; Thirty-five Minutes Later)

Hunter arrived and parked. While getting out, he saw others from the company coming too. This was going to be a long night. As the remaining twenty-five minutes passed, the rest of the soldiers arrived and lined up according to platoon in front of Major Harry Andersen at the position of parade rest. When everyone was where they should be, they waited patiently and nervously.

"My apologies for the rushed orders to come here this evening. However, you know should be aware of the type of call you received an hour ago how pressing this is. Deployment orders are as follows; eighteen months in Baghdad, Iraq at Camp Draconia. You will all be leaving Archi Airport on November 25th, 2016 at 0400 hours," Harry told them firmly. November 25th? That was the day after Thanksgiving, and they would be gone for a year and a half. It was much sooner than expected but these were their orders and would be carried out as directed.

"Drill for this upcoming weekend will be spent on preparations for deployment. All of you are expected to report to your duty stations every day until Wednesday the 23rd. Thanksgiving will be your one day of rest before Friday the 25th departure. We're sorry it's so rushed lads and lasses, but these orders come from HQ, and all we can do is follow them," Asher informed.

"Be prepared to receive new gear, go through evaluations for mental, emotional, and physical standing. It's very much like MEPS only ten times more intensified. The other platoon leaders and I will be coming as well. Oh, and one more thing," Harry paused as his eyes fell on Hooligan Platoon. "Sergeant Haddock,"

"Yes, sir?" Hunter replied firm and loud.

"As I will need Lieutenant Holgerson to take over for the Charlie Conqueror platoon and you are the only soldier in yours with the rank to do it, you will be taking control of the Alpha Hooligan Platoon when we deploy," Harry ordered. Hunter nearly choked on the breath he was taking in. He was in charge of the platoon during the tour?! "Will that be all right with you?"

Hunter composed himself now. "Orders confirmed and understood, Major Andersen," he said with a salute from his position. Gods why?! Not only was he going to be deployed for eighteen months start the day after Thanksgiving but also in control of Hooligan platoon because he was Sergeant First Class? Oh, Odin have mercy on him and let it go smoothly. Harry continued to talk, explaining what to expect and more for another hour and then they were released to return home for the night. Hunter knew his family, friends, and girlfriend were still there because they wanted to know the news and Hunter didn't know if he had the heart to tell them everything he had just been notified about.


	12. On Our Way

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

On Our Way

~Hunter's POV~

It was just supposed to be a quiet Friday night with friends when I got home from work at 6:15 pm. I never imagined forty-five minutes later at 7 pm; I would get a call from my CO telling me to call up Striker One squad and have them report to Fort Draco within the next hour for an urgent mobilization alert. My father understood right away just by the look I held in my eyes after taking the call towards the end of supper. My smiled faded and my tone became somber, everyone else figured out what was going on when I told Striker One about the orders to go to Fort Draco immediately. We knew from training that with a mobilization alert, not to panic until we knew the details. Just because we got the word it could happen, didn't always mean it would be right away. However, this was not one of those times.

Upon reaching Fort Draco, we were told to line up by platoon and wait for the rest. When everyone arrived, we learned our departure date for deployment; Friday, November 25th, 2016 at four in the morning from Archi Airport. Why was shocking? Because it meant we left for an eighteen-month tour of duty the day after Thanksgiving. Right now it was Friday, October 28th, 2016 and the time was close to 10 pm as I was just getting back into Berkton and pulling into the driveway at my parent's house. As I expected, everyone was still there waiting for me to get back. I had said not to wait up for me, but I guessed they would hang around until curfew which was 11 pm for anyone under eighteen. Of course, this didn't apply to the soldiers who were under that age because of the emancipation and being considered an adult who can take care of themselves thing.

I shut off the truck and just sat there a minute trying to process everything. I understood what the orders were; deployment in a month. We knew it could happen; we just didn't know when. My biggest shocker of tonight was learning that Major Andersen appointed me the Alpha Hooligan platoon leader since Lieutenant Holgerson would be taking over the Charlie Conqueror platoon for a reason unknown to me or anyone else for that matter. I was given this job because I was a Sergeant First Class ranking soldier and that position allowed me to lead a squad by myself. There was still so much to do before November 25th, and I knew I was about to become very busy. I took a minute to compose myself before getting out and moving to the front door.

Walking in, I saw that dinner had been cleaned up and my guess was that everyone was in the living room waiting for me but staying quiet so not to ride me about what was going on. I fully expected my mother, sister, and girlfriend to cry and beg me not to go even though they knew full well that I had no choice because this was the job I signed up to do under contract for eight years. My friends would be shocked and maybe a bit worried. Eddie and Drew likely wouldn't care but act like they did. I wasn't sure about my Dad's reaction, he knew something was up when I got the call. I couldn't put off telling them, not with how fast I had to bail out earlier and with what little I time I had before I would ship out overseas. I took a deep breath and entered the living room while removing my hat, and taking off my ACU coat.

"How did it go, son?" Salvatore asked gently.

"Quickly," I said because it was the only word I had to describe the last two hours at Fort Draco.

"Was this...just an alert that it could happen or is it happening?" Sal tried. I knew he probably instructed the others not to say anything and let him do the talking because if it ended up being deployment orders, then I had a lot on my mind and wouldn't want to be hounded for answers. I was glad if that's what Dad did, he knew how to handle things like this. I understood the way Dad put it. An alert meant that deployment was possible, but the dates were unknown for the time being which could mean months from now. But the _is it_ wording suggested he was asking if the deployment was set to happen.

"It's happening," I responded and let my eyes watch facial reactions start to alter to worry and fear.

"I hope it's not before the New Year," Viola mentioned as I saw Audrey and Caitlyn wondering the same. I shook my head no. "What do you mean, _no_?" she asked.

"Does that mean you're not deploying until after that?" Fisher asked. Again, I shook my head.

"Sooner than the New Year," I stated.

"Hunter, when are you set to leave!" Viola demanded while getting up, though, Sal tried to get her to sit back down and relax.

"Vi, back off and don't hound him. Now, will you please sit down and let him go at his pace?" Salvatore sighed heavily.

"No, I will not sit down. I want to know immediately when my baby is being deployed, where to, and for how long!" Viola said sternly, but I was able to see the tears of worry in her blue/green eyes.

"It's fine, Dad. Mom...has the right to worry about deployments. I am her only son after all," I told Dad, so he didn't try to force Mom to calm down.

"Babe? When...are you going?" Audrey asked sadly.

No turning back now. "Deployment for the Plasma Fire company is set for November 25th, 2016," I stated clearly for all of them to hear.

"Th-That's the day after Thanksgiving," Caitlyn began to cry now as I watched my mother's eyes widen as she lost her balance and fell back on the couch in shock.

"How long is the tour?" Shane questioned. I watched Audrey try to fight back her tears and my father comforting my mother who wasn't crying but still processing that I was leaving in a month.

"Where are you deploying to, son?" Sal finally asked the question that everyone wanted to know but was terrified of being.

"Camp Draconia in Baghdad, Iraq," That was the response that did it. My mother burst into tears, so did Caitlyn and Audrey. The others had wide eyes and shocked worried faces. My father looked at me sympathetically; he knew how hard it was to tell people about a deployment.

"Vi, it's all right. Hunter will be fine," Salvatore attempted to calm down my distraught mother, but she rose from the sofa and quickly pulled me into her arms tightly.

"No. Please not there, Hunter. Anywhere but _there!_ " my mother pleaded. It was long after my mother grasped me that Caitlyn did too.

"You know I don't have a choice in where I get sent," I sighed softly. "I'd rather be in Iraq considering just this morning another bomb went off in Afghanistan killing ninety and wounding two hundred, most of which were women and children," I mentioned.

"It doesn't make it any better, son. Afghanistan, Iraq. All of them are still ongoing wars, and the danger level can change in the blink of an eye," Sal said calmly. Then he got up to pry my mother and sister off me, not that it lasted because Audrey was next to hug me, but at least she didn't have me in a death grip.

"I know Dad," I nodded as I hugged Audrey back while she buried her face in my shirt, clutching in tightly in her fists. "Hey, it's gonna be okay," I tried to tell her.

"You can't...promise me that, Hunter," Audrey whimpered out.

I stepped back some and wiped the tears falling from her eyes before hooking her chin with my index finger and giving Audrey a light kiss before breaking it a moment later and staring into her eyes. "But I can promise that with me over there, you're safe here,"

"How...long is the tour for?" Renee asked slowly. And this was the part that it felt silent with all eyes on me.

"Eighteen months," I said. Audrey only held onto me tighter, then my mother and sister returned to do the same. All whispering pleas for me not to go and crying. I looked to Dad for help now, and he gave me a look that said just let them cry it out, and they'll calm down eventually. Unfortunately, time wasn't on my side because I had to be at the Berkton base for 6 am to start preparations for the tour and it was already nearing 10:30 pm which meant Audrey and my other friends had to leave soon.

Another fifteen minutes passed while I explained that I was made platoon leader, also that we were leaving at 4 am from Archi Airport. Nothing else mattered but them knowing when I would be leaving and my newly appointed position for Hooligan. It hit the time where everyone had to leave and I told them I would try and see them as much as I could before I left but no promises as now even my weekends were booked with preparation for deployment to Iraq. Drew took Fisher home along with Heather. Eddie was in charge of the twins and himself. Shane took Audrey since I needed a shower and then to get to sleep because tomorrow was going to be a long day and I was sure more long days to follow that one up until the 23rd.

(Thanksgiving Dinner)

I don't think I have ever been so busy at one time in my life except for this past month of evaluations, transporting gear, extra physical, mission, and combat training sessions. Every single day since Saturday the 29th of October, has been crazy doing something to prepare for tomorrow's deplyments. Yes, it was upon us now. Tomorrow at 4 am, I would be leaving for Iraq with my company for the eighteen month tour. I would be lying if I didn't say I was nervous about it. Dad knew and we had a sit down to discuss it last week where he told me to follow orders, trust my gut, and always remember my training then everything would be okay. Dad warned me that soldiers would be hurt or killed and each one would affect me in someway but I would make it through with love and support from others.

Treyden's Dad had left for his deployment and sticking to the plan, I had him over my house for Thanksgiving, and we would commute together to the airport in the morning. I tried to spend as much time as I could with my family, friends, and Audrey but I always came home beyond exhausted, and Dad was the one telling them to leave me be because I was stressed enough as it was. Audrey and I made love a few times in the last month, and still, no one knew about that, so we were keeping it that way.

The time now was 5:30 pm as we were all sitting in the living room for the dessert portion of Thanksgiving. Audrey, Fisher, Heather, Renee, and Travis were over to join us. Shane was already over with Uncle Shawn and Aunt Mikayla. Eddie and Drew were over too, but I've come to accept that as long as Heather is one of my friends, those two idiots would be coming together wherever she went. Rather annoying but at least they weren't giving me any trouble. Treyden and I were packing up the last of our things into our bags as Mom and Dad were setting out the pies, cakes, cookies, and other little treats.

"All packed up boys?" Salvatore asked gently seeing Treyden, and I close up our bags with the drawstring and set them by the living room door against the wall along with the backpacks too.

"Just finished, Mr. Haddock," Treyden offered a smile.

My Mom was about to announce that desserts were up when my cell phone rang and it fell dead silent. I pulled it out and glanced at the contact ID, "It's Andersen," I mentioned as I looked at Treyden and both of us were wondering the same thing. Was this a phone call saying we had to leave tonight? I slid the phone icon to answer then tapped speakerphone. "Evening, Major Andersen. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family," I greeted.

" _Same to you and yours, Sergeant Haddock. I trust your platoon is ready for tomorrow?"_ Harry replied.

"Yes, sir. Still 0400 hours departure from Archi Airport, correct?" I asked.

" _That is what I was calling about. You're on with the other platoon leaders; it was easier to call you all at the same time,"_ Harry informed.

" _All right, Harry. We got Haddock in the call so spill what the emergency is because my wife is about to murder me if she finds out we're leaving tonight,"_ said one voice that Treyden and I both recognized as Sergeant Major Caleb Rodriguez to the Bravo Berserker platoon.

" _Agreeing with Caleb, Major. I'm getting the disapproving glare as well. How about on your side, Lieutenant Holgerson?"_ inquired the leader of Delta Nightmare, First Lieutenant Brady Grove.

" _The wife and kids ain't too happy as it is, so I hope the update isn't worse. You get it on your end, Haddock?"_ Asher directed it towards me now.

I closed my eyes while rubbing the spot between my eyes with a sigh. _"At the moment, I'm getting a headache so maybe you three can stop your griping for five minutes and let Major Andersen talk, then we can all get back to spending time our families before we leave?"_ I remarked.

" _Just because you're a platoon leader doesn't mean you can disrespect your commanding officers,"_ Brady stated.

"And just because you're in the officer ranks doesn't mean you can disrespect yours, Lieutenant Grove. Major Andersen called the four of us with an update about the deployment, clearly it's something we need to know now and you're wasting time by disrespecting him to complain about something you should be aware can happen in these situations," I said. "My apologies, Major Andersen. The call is yours,"

"Thank you, Sergeant Haddock! Now see, why can't you three be more like him? Sixteen years old and follows protocol better than some of the soldiers who have been in for over ten years. Being ranked higher than Hunter doesn't mean anything. In my company gentlemen, I don't care if you're a Sergeant or a Captain given you all report to me. You four will respect one another as if you are the same rank because you have the same job of being a platoon leader. Is that clear?" Harry said sternly.

" _Yes, Major Andersen,"_ the three replied.

" _Good. Back to more pressing matters, no one is leaving tonight. Departure has been moved later to 0900 hours tomorrow morning, but you are required to arrive at 0700 for roll call and final check before we leave,"_ Harry informed. _"It appears after speaking with the airport, the heaviest times of departure are early morning between 12 am to 6 am for commercial flights, and the airport will be rather busy. After speaking to HQ, it was decided to wait until it's less busy. Arriving tomorrow, you will pass security the security checkpoints and report directly to level two where the A.A.F gates are. There are only four and A.I.A is first on your left upon exiting the elevators. Platoon Sergeants, you will line your groups as they arrive,"_

"Orders understood and confirmed," I repeated back with the other three as well.

" _Excellent then. Have a good evening, and I'll see you all tomorrow at 0700,"_ Harry then hung up as the group call ended.

"Well, thank Odin we aren't leaving tonight or at 4 am," Treyden stated with a smile and then punched my arm in a joking manner. "You realize you just got stupid lucky with not being scolded for talking back right?"

"Not entirely. Harry explained that I have the same job as them with being a platoon leader, therefore, regardless of ranking, none of us have a more important job than the other, and that's why I said what I did. Harry is company leader, so when he calls all four of us at one time, it's for something big that we will relay to our platoons and it's expected to give our full attention," I shrugged.

"Do we get to come with you tomorrow?" Audrey asked curiously.

"What? To the airport?" I inquired as she nodded along with Caitlyn and a few of the other friends. "I don't know actually. It's going to be crazy enough as it is," I added afterward. I decided to text Harry and ask if such was allowed, but I wasn't sure if he would get back to me. In the mean time, I pulled up the group text which had all twenty-four members of the platoon added to it and let them know about the time change.

"Well now, I think we should enjoy the desserts and the fact Hunter doesn't have to leave at four in the morning," Salvatore stated as soon everyone began getting a plate of treats and relaxing. Around 7 pm, I got the text from Harry with a reply to my earlier question.

 **Immediate family and lover only. Tell your platoon the same. ~Andersen**

"Looks like immediate family and lovers can come but that's it. So, that means Mom, Dad, Caitlyn, Shane, Aunt Kay, Uncle Shawn, and you babe are allowed," I stated after reading over the text message and then alerting the platoon of the same information. It had been such a long day; I enjoyed spending it with friends and family. I was still processing that at 7 am tomorrow morning; I was leaving Archi Island to serve eighteen months in Iraq. Around 7:15 pm, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Mikayla left with Shane. Eddie had left early due to something at home. Drew would now be in charge of taking Fisher, the twins, and Heather home. Audrey was still here though, spending the night in Caitlyn's room so she could come to the airport in the morning.

Treyden got a call from his father and I took Audrey to her house to grab a set of clothes and some personal items for morning. Audrey's parents wished me a safe flight and return home then we left. On the drive home, we side-tracked for an hour to make love one more time before I left. Not the most romantic sex we've ever had given it was in the truck but we did have to get back before my parents started questioning what was taking so long. Arriving at my house, Audrey and I shared a kiss goodnight before she went to sleep in Caitlyn's room and I returned to my own and finally let sleep take me after setting the alarm for 5:30 am.

(8:30 am)

Alas, the time hit 8:30 am and Harry made his way over to us. "Plasma Fire soldiers, it's time to go," Harry announced to the four platoons. I instantly saw my family look with worry and I knew I had to say goodbye to them for now. As anticipated, my mother was first to embrace me tightly in her arms and cry.

"This isn't happening. It can't be, my only son going off to war," Viola sobbed.

"Mom, please. I'll be okay," I tried to assure her as I hugged her back and let her kiss my forehead before she stepped back and wiped her eyes to let Caitlyn go next.

"You...stay in contact as much as you can and be safe, please?" my younger sister hugged me tightly, and I kissed her cheek.

"I can only promise to try sis. You be good for Mom and Dad, keep your grades up, okay?" I told Caitlyn as she sniffled a few times and stepped back into my mother's arms while they both cried quietly now. I shook hands with Uncle Shawn and hugged Aunt Mikayla, both wishing me well and to be safe as well. Shane and I shook hands and brought it in for a hug; he told me that he was rooting for the rest of the company and me. My father was the second to last person to say goodbye.

"You will never know how proud I am of you, Hunter. It's not going to be the same with you gone," Salvatore said while trying not to get emotional.

"Awe, Dad. Don't you get all teary eyed on me too. It'll be fine, just...think of it as extensive training," I attempted to lighten the mood, but I could see that this hurt him too. Even when Dad went on his first tour, it wasn't until he'd been in the army almost two years and he was only deployed for six months. Here I'd only been in since the beginning of June and leaving in fifteen minutes for my first deployment and it would last eighteen months. I know Dad was refraining from hugging me, but I knew that's what he wanted so I hugged him tightly and he didn't hold back.

"Please be safe. I'm going to miss you and know that I love you, son," Sal told me as we ended the hug a moment later and he stepped off to the side to stand with Mom and Caitlyn while turning his head some to wipe the tears he thought I couldn't see. Finally, I was face to face with Audrey, and she already had tears welling up in her blue eyes.

"Do you have to go?" Audrey asked.

"You know I do beautiful," I replied softly as she sighed looking down. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, and she returned the gesture. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll call, text, skype, e-mail as much as I'm able. Just think, by the time I get back in May 2018, you and I will both be eighteen years old and a month after that; you get the summer vacation. We'll do whatever you want to do," I smiled lightly.

"Anything I want?" Audrey looked up at me as I moved some of her bangs from out of her eyes and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Anything at all. We can take the truck, go camping for a few weeks by the lake or drive around the island and visit every town plus the city. We'll get married, get a house, have a family of our own. Everything we wanted and talked about having when we turned eighteen. I promise you, Audrey. And so you don't forget that pledge," I paused a moment pulling out a small black leather box and opened it to reveal a sterling silver band with a heart-shaped blue sapphire fixed at the top in a prong setting. I placed it on Audrey's left-hand ring finger as she gasped. "This is my promise that we will have the life we planned,"

"I love you Hunter Haddock, and I'm going to miss you like crazy," Audrey tried not to cry again, I smiled and cupped her cheek before kissing her passionately. Something my family had never seen before and yet I didn't care. I always said I would marry Audrey and now, this ring was my promise to do just that. It was only a $50 promise ring, but Audrey knew what purpose it served, the place holder until I proposed with an engagement ring. I broke the kiss after fifteen seconds and hugged her tightly before letting her go.

"I love you too, Audrey Hofferson," I said before grabbing my backpack and long bag and getting them on. I gave a small salute to all of them as I walked through the gate next to Treyden and boarded the place. At 9 am on the dot, the plane was headed down the runway, and soon after with the wheels up and heading into the sky, we were on our way.


	13. Doing Fine

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Doing Fine

"I can't believe Hunter has been deployed for three months," Caitlyn sighed heavily while sitting down to lunch with her friends. Such was true, though. Hunter had been deployed since the 25th of November in the year 2016. Now, today was February 28th, 2017. Technically, tomorrow on March first, Hunter would be seventeen years old and for once, he would be around to celebrate it with his family and friends because he was in Iraq for another fifteen months. Since that day at the airport when he walked through that boarding gate onto a C-130 A.I.A.F(Archi Island Air Force) transport plane with the other soldiers of Plasma Fire company and then he was gone. Viola, Caitlyn, and Audrey cried the whole drive back to Berkton wishing it wasn't true, that he hadn't joined the army and was now being deployed overseas.

Another stunning moment of that day was Hunter giving Audrey the promise ring, saying that when he got back he promised to do whatever she wanted because they would both be eighteen and wouldn't have restrictions. What sucked the most was they barely got to Hunter. Texting and calling with his cell phone was out because it never got a good signal to do either with so that limited him to writing letters, e-mailing, and the occasional Skype call if the wifi would hold for a few minutes. Hunter tried his best to make contact but sometimes he was too busy or tired. In the last three months, Audrey, his friends, and family only got to hear from him a total of five times. Hunter got one e-mail through after arriving in Iraq, letting them know he made it safely and was about to go to sleep because thirteen hours put them at midnight when they reached their destination.

It took everyone some time to adjust to the fact Hunter was also two hours ahead of them so while it could be 9 pm for the residents of Archi, it was 11 pm for Hunter and that was a time he could be sleeping, on a mission, patrol, or guard. Letters or e-mails were Hunter's easiest way of communicating with them. Right before they left, Sal gave Hunter his laptop so he wouldn't have to rely on his cell phone which never had service or take his tablet with him. Christmas had been very quiet and ringing in the 2017 year were miserable and lonesome without Hunter but somehow he managed to call on Christmas for a total of ten minutes before the connection got crappy again. It wasn't the greatest situation but they all tried to make the best of it and prayed Hunter would just be safe that's all they wanted more than talking to him.

Over in Iraq, things had been somewhat nuts. Camp Draconia was the main operating base for Archi Island and then there were some smaller support bases in other locations. This camp was home to a Division, a group of soldiers ranging between ten and fifteen thousand. Of course, it broke down into smaller groups all around the base. There was a central building that was used for war related aspects such as meetings, it was basically the military HQ in Iraq. To house so many soldiers, they were broken up into battalions so something along the lines of three to eight hundred per section. For Hunter and so many others, it wasn't any different than during Basic and AIT where Fort Draco had been a battalion of three hundred and eighty-four soldiers which got broken down into companies, platoons, and squadrons.

Plasma Fire was one of seven companies present in the battalion Hunter was part of. There were seven hundred and twenty-two soldiers in the Nightstrike Battalion. The way housing got set up was much like Fort Draco. Each company had their own spot within the battalion section. So to say that Plasma Fire had four barracks and these ones allowed platoons to stay together. Females on one side and males on the other; it worked out nicely for Alpha Hooligan platoon because Striker One had eight men and four women while Striker Two had ten boys and two girls. All together, Hooligan held eighteen males and six females. The barrack was one building that held up to twenty-eight people. Inside such building, the left and right were lined with what appeared to be dorm rooms.

The rooms slept four each and were equipped with four metal closets. As for restroom facilities, not the greatest as Hunter and the others so discovered. There was one room at the end of the barrack hall with four showers and four toilets that the entire platoon had to share. Needless to say, it took a while for them to develop a system to use. It was hard to make a schedule because they never knew when there could be an attack or mission to take care of so they did the best they could. The one thing about the facilities was them being separated for privacy. Two showers and two toilets on the left and right with a wall in between for the just in case factor that it wasn't an all male platoon.

The girls would use the right side and the males on the left. Given there were less females than males, when the time was available, the girls would lets the boys use their side to since they had their showers down to ten minutes a piece and that was to go to the bathroom, shower, shave, and get dressed. It only went so quickly because the males converted to using the shower to wash quick and shave with the help of a hanging mirror and if they did a run over shave every day then it never got too long to require a lot of maintenance.

As for other aspects, Hunter attended meetings with Harry and the other three platoon leaders. It was all for the sake of determining which groups were going out to do what. Such as missions, guards, or patrols. Harry would attend the larger meetings and report back to Plasma Fire. It wasn't all bad, there were some nifty amenities to use the work out center; there was one for each battalion right near the officers building and chow hall. Of course, not everyone ate at the same time, it was split up to cut down on the amount of people being served. Most of that was based on the groups out on orders from their leaders. It wasn't the greatest sometimes, being deployed that was but they all muddled through without much complications.

Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't fighting all the time and there were a lot of lounging about, dull, peaceful days where not a single thing would happen as Hunter came to discover in the last three months since he deployed to Iraq. There was an entertainment hall, big building with a stage, instruments, benches, and chairs. If groups got bored or had nothing to do, then soldiers were welcome to go there and try to spark up a little fun for themselves by playing music and singing karaoke but the rule was that they had to pay attention for emergency orders just in case. Iraq wasn't horrible, Hunter had tons of pictures of him with his platoon hanging out, or on patrols through the towns with some of the locals. Also around the base were some typical fast food places. No, it wasn't bad at all.

Hunter did his best to contact home but sometimes his only options were e-mail or writing a letter. There was wifi available for a small fee per month but the connection was still terrible. Days like today, he was missing his family because technically, Hunter was turning seventeen tomorrow when March started. This was the first birthday where he wouldn't be with them and highly doubted he would get through to call home either. It was bothering Hunter a lot but he hadn't said anything to anyone as he would just try to call a bit later on. Right now, it was only 7 pm and he would try to call in a little bit but it wasn't looking so promising.

"You okay man?" came Theo's voice to bring Hunter back to his thoughts.

"Huh?" Hunter asked while glancing over to Theo and Andrew.

"You've been zoned out for ten minutes, Hunt. Is everything okay?" Treyden inquired.

"Yeah, just trying to think of a way to kill time before I call home," Hunter replied.

"You sure? You look down today," Andrew asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," Hunter smiled. "Just processing that this is my first birthday I'm spending alone. Well, without my family," he shrugged.

"Today is your birthday?" Harry blinked, and Hunter looked over to see Harry and the other three platoon leaders sitting at the table behind them.

"Well, technically its the 29th but that only comes every four years, so I guess...tomorrow I'll be seventeen," Hunter shrugged a bit.

"Ah, leap year kid then. Won't happen again until 2020," Asher chuckled and Hunter nodded. "You got all of us," he added. All of Plasma Fire company was hanging in the entertainment hall. It could comfortable fit close to a thousand though and it was always a fun place for them to all see one another since the barracks were too small to fit everyone. Speaking of birthdays, Treyden turned seventeen on February 13th and didn't have such a great day to start because he was missing his mother. January had been hard for Treyden because it marked one year since his mother had been killed in action.

All Trey wanted to do on his birthday was hear from his father and it almost didn't happen but the man managed to get through on Hunter's laptop through Skype. Treyden got to tell his father that he missed and loved him. It was all it took for Treyden to be happy again. Most of January, the platoon was around to keep him distracted or give Treyden someone to talk to. All around, good day.

"I know, but it would be nice if the reception wouldn't suck so I could call home," Hunter chuckled.

"Can't be helped lad," Harry shrugged. "Have ya tried thus far?"

"Few times but nothing so I will probably just send an email before I go to bed," Hunter replied calmly while taking a drink from his water bottle. The temperatures in Iraq varied drastically between the months. June, July, and August being the worst with numbers that could reach up in the one hundred and twenties. The coldest months would fall between November, December, January and February with temperature somewhere in the forties to sixties. July being the hottest and January as the coldest. It took some getting used too overall.

"So what's your plan for the rest of the night?" Theo inquired.

Hunter gave a shrug of his shoulders, "I dunno. We don't have anything to do tonight, so maybe I just turn in early," he yawned while getting up and putting his hat back on.

"Dude, it's 7 pm. You sure you are okay?" Treyden asked.

"I'm fine, Trey. I didn't say I was going to sleep, just back the barrack," Hunter smiled while heading for the exit, he gave a wave. "See ya later," and with that, he was out of sight.

"Anyone else buying Hunter's famous _I'm fine_ line?" Andrew glanced around Striker One and even to Harry and Asher.

"Nope. Last time he told us he was fine; he blacked out during graduation and proceeded to get worse until it got life threatening. Not saying he's sick or nothing but something is bothering him," Jay mentioned.

"Think it might be the fact this is the first birthday he has to spend without his family added to that he also can't get a call through?" Asher added his two cents in.

"Hunter has told me that every year since he was five he would go out for dinner with his family and friends. They always threw him a surprise party, and he knew they would but never suspect what theme it would be or how they'd go about it. Somethings we always hold close, and I guess him not getting that this year probably has him a little down in the dumps," Treyden stated.

"Well, maybe we can do something for him?" Amber suggested.

"Like what?" Nikolas inquired.

"We could throw him a party right here, one from Plasma Fire. It wouldn't be what he's used to getting but still a surprise from his friends?" Amanda pointed out as Elizabeth and Danielle nodded in agreement.

"We can't pull something like that off. Hunter would get suspicious," Zander huffed.

"How would he? Hunter went to the barrack and said he was going to turn in early. I'm sure we can put something together, just to make it feel a little closer to home?" Danielle reminded.

"You know, it's not such a bad idea. Hunter went out of his way last month to make sure I didn't feel down," Treyden said referring to when Hunter always got Trey to smile during January and through his birthday.

"It's fine with me, just don't go crazy. Girls, I'm sure you can rummage up a few things from the kitchen, and the rest of us can find some décor," Harry informed.

"All right then. Let's give Hunter a birthday he'll never forget from his second family!" the soldiers cheered together but not too loud because the barracks weren't far and Plasma Fire company sat closest to the entertainment and chow hall.

(An Hour Later)

By some grace of Odin, they pulled it off. The entire Plasma Fire company worked together to decorate and put out an excellent spread for Hunter's seventeenth birthday and the man didn't suspect a thing. The girls of Hooligan managed the kitchen work; making a few sheets of pizza, and a cake. Everyone else pulled through with drinks and snacks, enough for the company to enjoy. Theo, Andrew, and Treyden were sent to get Hunter to come back with them and they hoped he would agree. Reaching the barrack, they moved to their room and went to knock but realized that Hunter might be asleep so they peeked in slow and saw Hunter lying on his bed quietly, eyes closed but not sleeping.

"Hunter?" Theo asked.

"Hm? Hey guys, what's up?" Hunter asked turning over and looked at them.

"Oh, good. You are awake," Andrew smiled. "Why don't you come back with us?" he asked being straightforward.

"I think I'll just turn in. It's getting late, and I was almost asleep before you came in," Hunter replied.

"Please? For a little bit? Andersen let us hook up some music and it's a lot less boring," Treyden smiled. Hunter sighed heavily as he sat up then got down off the top bunk and slipped on his boots. Hunter grabbed his hat and coat before heading out of the room and the others grinned, they hoped this would cheer him up. Reaching the location ten minutes later, Hunter walked in.

"SURPRISE!" Plasma Fire shouted happily. Hunter blinked a few times as Theo, Treyden, and Andrew came up behind him while laughing.

"W-What is all this?" Hunter asked looking around to see a table with food, drinks, and cake on it. There were plates, cups, napkins plastic utensils.

"Well, the company here though you might have left earlier because you were feeling down about not being home for your birthday and not being able to call either, so they pulled together to throw you a birthday party," Asher smiled.

"We know that it's not what you get at home but maybe this can be a close second with all your friends around to celebrate with ya," said Amber coming over with the rest of the Striker One girls.

"You all did this for me?" Hunter inquired as Treyden put his arm over Hunter's shoulders and gave him a nod. "But why? I'm nothing special," he mentioned.

"Oh hush, Haddock," someone stated.

"You might lead Hooligan, but you're a good friend to all of us. Some of this group barely get to see you unless we're all together. If you see someone looking down or having a problem, you step in and try to help. We thought since you're willing to do that then we can throw a surprise birthday party for the guy who goes out of his way to attempt in making all our lives a little less miserable while we're here," Treyden told him. "Especially me all through January and my birthday, I never did thank you for that," he added.

"Happy Birthday, Hunter!" the company called out as Hunter couldn't help but smile. It was shocking and unbelievable, they all went out of their way to throw him a party because they recognized he was upset about not being home or able to call for his birthday. It was a good feeling to know they did this so he wouldn't have to spend the day alone. So maybe being deployed wasn't so bad, he did have some really cool friends who cared about him and everyone together like this did make it feel like he was closer to home.

(Berkton)

Salvatore, Caitlyn, Audrey, Viola, and the rest of Hunter's friends were at the Haddock household as it was 6 pm and they were sitting together in the living room with all cell phones present, the laptop out with Skype and e-mail open in case Hunter called. Of course, they knew the chance was slim for a call but perhaps an e-mail would come through.

"This sucks," Caitlyn huffed.

"We all know it might not happen. Hunter could be on patrol, guard, or a mission right now. There's probably no service again even if he's not doing one of those three things," Sal sighed heavily, but he understood what it was like to be deployed and barely get to make contact with family back home.

"There probably is decent wifi and service, but everyone there uses it, so it slows it down and makes it impossible to get a call through," Heather mentioned.

"Also a good point," Fisher nodded in agreement. "Didn't Hunter say his battalion alone as close to seven hundred and thirty people in it?"

"Yes, that he did, Fisher. Fort Draco itself is a Division. That's ten to fifteen thousand soldiers at one base," Salvatore nodded to confirm. In the silence, one of the phones lit up, and they all held their breath it was Hunter. Audrey reached for hers as it was lighting up and she checked it over.

"No call, it's just the news app letting me know there's a live broadcast," Audrey informed.

"Why do you have to get alerted for that?" Viola questioned.

"Oh. Because sometimes the news covers stories overseas and I have my preferences set to when they are doing something live from Iraq, thought it might be one more way to see him," Audrey shrugged once.

"What channel?" Caitlyn asked now.

"Archi News 8," Audrey replied as Caitlyn turned the TV on and flipped to the channel as it showed the anchor woman sitting at her desk.

" **Good evening, Archi Island. Before we get into the rest of the news, I just received word from our own Jared Hughes about a few Camp Draconia soldiers banding together to make a fellow friend smile. We take you live to Iraq for the story," the woman smiled as the screen changed to show the male reporter standing with a microphone. Behind him was a group of soldiers listening to music and having fun.**

" _ **Thank you, Diana. I'm here in the entertainment hall with the Plasma Fire company of Dreki Battalion where I just watched these soldiers go out of their way to cheer up a friend. Here's the touching moment once more," Jared stated.**_

"Plasma Fire is...Hunter's company, isn't it?" Renee asked.

"Yeah," Audree nodded. The group of them sat watching and became stunned to see the soldiers jump up and yell 'surprise' to the soldier who walked in with three others. As the camera turned, they were able to see the face of the soldier. Hunter. Caitlyn quickly turned the TV up as they listened to the conversation and learned that Hunter was the one the others pulled together to cheer up because he was upset about not being able to call or be home for his birthday. The last thing they saw was Hunter's shocked face form to a smile.

" _ **Let's see if we can't get a word with the man of the hour," Jared said as he made his way through the soldiers to get to Hunter who was standing in a small group of people holding a soda in hand and seeming to have a good time. "Excuse me young man, do you have a minute to talk?" Jared asked.**_

" _ **Sure," Hunter replied as he moved off to the side with Jared.**_

" _ **How did it make you feel knowing your friends put all this together for you?" Jared asked curiously.**_

" _ **Honestly, I was confused. I had only been sitting in here with them an hour ago and mentioned that it sucked I wasn't home for my birthday and couldn't get a call through either. I wasn't expecting something like this but I suppose it makes me feel grateful and happy that they went through the trouble of throwing me a surprise birthday party so I wouldn't have to spend it alone," Hunter replied calmly with a smile.**_

" _ **Now did they all come up with it?" Jared questioned.**_

" _ **Every year since I was five, I would spend my birthday with my family and friends back home after they threw a surprise party for me. This year, I'm deployed and can't be there or make a call to them so my friends here thought to throw a surprise party so it would feel like I was closer to home," Hunter explained.**_

" _ **We're his second family!" Theo smiled wide as he jumped on Hunter's back laughing, but Hunter was able to support the extra weight before Theo got down while Trey and Andrew came over.**_

" _ **The idea came from the fact that since being here when Hunter sees someone having a problem or looking down, he goes out of his way to make them smile and never worries about himself," Andrew mentioned now.**_

" _ **So when we saw him looking a bit down, we decided to return the favor," Treyden put his arm over Hunter's shoulders. "The girls made all the food and cake, the rest of us decorated. I had to agree with the idea; Hunter went above and beyond the call of duty for being a friend to me last month and on my birthday,"**_

" _ **And what did he do for you?" Jared smiled.**_

" _ **Well, last year in January; my mother was killed in action. It wasn't easy, and this guy right here managed to get me to smile every day whether it was pranking the others or just giving me someone to talk to," Treyden enlightened.**_

" _ **For Trey's birthday, Hunter set up a plan for Treyden's Dad to call in to wish Trey a happy birthday," Andrew said.**_

" _ **Wait, you did all that?" Treyden asked looking at Hunter with wide eyes as Hunter only shrugged.**_

" _ **You didn't know?" Jared asked.**_

" _ **Trey only knew that his father called him from Skype. Hunter was the mastermind behind that by sending an e-mail to Treyden's Dad who is on his own deployment for another nine months with the Archi Navy. Hunter knew that all Trey wanted was to get to hear from his father for his birthday, so Hunter made it happen," Theo said.**_

" _ **Y-You used that brief fifteen minutes of good connection and our off night for my Dad to call me on my birthday instead of calling home to your family?" Treyden questioned slowly. "You barely get to talk to them as it is, why give that up for me?"**_

" _ **I knew how much it meant for you to hear from him. I'm willing to give up one of the few opportunities I get to call home to make sure you got the one thing you wanted for your birthday. You're more than my battle buddy, Trey. You're my best friend," Hunter told him with a smile.**_

" _ **And you're mine. Thank you, Hunter," Treyden responded as he put his hand up and Hunter connected his own to Trey's, then they hugged before separating. "Now let's get back to enjoying your party," he added.**_

" _ **Sergeant Haddock, anything you'd like to say to your family back home if their watching?" Jared held the microphone towards him. Hunter faced the camera.**_

" _ **Just that I love and miss them like but not to worry about me because I'm completely okay with all these guys and girls having my back in any and all situations," Hunter stated then headed off with Trey, Theo, and Andrew back into the party.**_

" _ **Well, there you have it folks and now back to you in the studio, Diana," Jared said.**_

Hunter's family, friends, and girlfriend sat in the Haddock household living room after the broadcast to Iraq cut out and returned to the stupid with more on the news regarding weather or other events. Caitlyn turned it back down and set the remote aside.

"So we could have heard from him two weeks ago, but he gave up his time for Trey," Caitlyn asked.

"It was a generous thing to do, sacrifice a chance to call home so he could make sure his friend was happy," Fisher mentioned.

"But it sucks too," Audrey looked down.

"Hey, we got to see him on TV and get a message that way," Travis reminded.

"If nothing else, kids, we know he is okay and that is enough for me," Salvatore said calmly with a smile. It warmed his heart to know Hunter was happy where he was. Granted, being deployed to a war zone wasn't a snuggly feeling, but there was comfort in knowing that Hunter's friends had his back and willing to do something that reminded Hunter of home even when he wasn't there. The best feeling for Salvatore was knowing his son was safe and doing just fine.


	14. Heart To Heart

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Heart To Heart

The total tour of duty time served thus far had reached seven months. That's right, it was officially June 2017, or at least the middle of it with Hunter still on his deployment in Baghdad, Iraq. Although, much had happened in four months since the night of Plasma Fire company throwing Hunter a surprise birthday party to raise his spirits about being away from home. The heat was attrocious, the storms were terrifying, and the work load seemed to have pick up immensely. Hunter hated the fact that he used to have so much time to call home and couldn't because of bad reception and wifi but now he had no time and the signals seemed to improve. Odd turn of events in his eyes, though, it couldn't be helped. All guard and patrol shifts were getting longer in time frame, the missions were becoming increasingly harder.

As for other situations that occurred, Hunter and the rest of Plasma Fire had experienced some of their worst fears about being deployed overseas; losing comrades in battle. In the beginning, the company had ninety-six soldiers back in September 2016. Now, there are eighty-seven remaining as nine had passed away. Only two of those nine had been from Alpha Hooligan platoon members. Four from Bravo and two from Delta. Finally, one from Charlie. After every death in Plasma Fire, when the fighting was over, the fallen soldier's bodies were taken away if they could be recovered from the battle. Following that, the company would pay tribute to those lost in a moment of silence after a few words were spoken.

The worst part of losing comrades wasn't them dying because every man or woman who joined the Armed Forces knew what could happen to them and it was a risk each took daily while deployed. What hurt the most to lose a brother or sister in arms was learning how they died, and in some cases; witnessing such a death as Hunter had come to discover. The first to die from Hooligan had been a male in his early twenties, passed on after stepping on an IED and there was no body to recover. The second death happened today and Hunter had not been prepared to deal with what took place.

 **/Flashback/**

 _The Alpha Hooligan platoon was on a twelve hour patrol of a nearby village. With only one hour to go, one explosion took place, and things had become a mess as their ride out had been blown up with two injured but nothing life-threatening. Having no choice anymore, Hunter called for extraction and a set of choppers was on their way to pull out the Hooligan platoon. Ten minutes later, the soldiers had cover fire from the helicopters however the fighting had turned to guns and hand to hand combat which made escaping a lot more complicated._

 _The enemies were being pushed back and Hunter gave the command for the soldiers to start making their way to the choppers. Hunter gave a check around, only five of his platoon were still fighting so he joined in to help out. Each member of Hooligan he helped would run for the helicopter on Hunter's orders._

 _Hunter looked around quickly and saw one more of Striker Two, RJ Wheeler, locked in a fight with the enemy. Hunter hurried over but froze in his tracks when he saw the soldier from the other side pull a sidearm from behind his belt and shoot RJ in the chest. Hunter reacted so quickly by pulling his handgun off his hip and shooting the enemy in the forehead with one shot. When the Iraqi soldier was dead, Hunter scrambled over to RJ and knelt beside him quickly to check over the wound. Hunter picked RJ up and rushed to the chopper as Treyden and Andrew helped pull RJ inside and then Hunter jumped in and the helicopters started their ascent back to the base._

 _Two minutes into the flight, Hunter kept his arm under his friend who was basically laying on Hunter's lap to keep RJ from choking on the blood he was coughing up. RJ lifted a hand and held the front of Hunter's vest as he offered a weak smile. "Y-You're...a good man, Hun...ter. Tha-Thank you for...not leaving me...there. N-Now I can...go home," RJ panted out._

" _Ssh. No soldier left behind and you're going to be fine. Save your strength, we're almost there," Hunter told him in reply. Theo was trying to keep pressure on the wound but it wasn't doing anything helpful. The others could see it, RJ wasn't going to make it back to the base for treatment. Hunter knew it too but didn't want to accept it. Hunter's uniform had blood on it, in truth it looked like he'd been wounded but he wasn't. By the end of the seventh minute, RJ's eyes were closed and had stopped breathing. Everyone could only assume that since Theo had closed his eyes and pulled back from applying pressure after RJ's hand fell from Hunter's vest where it had been moments ago._

 **/End Flashback/**

The helicopter landed on the pad for Dreki Battalion as the soldiers began to file out. The ones in the chopper with Hunter stopped and waited a minute as Hunter had his head down on RJ's. "Hunter?" Treyden asked slowly. Hunter didn't say a word, RJ just died in his arms three minutes ago and didn't know what he could say right now. Hunter laid RJ flat on the chopper floor as Hunter got out and then picked RJ's body up to take him to the building where fallen soldiers would be cleaned up and placed in a casket to be sent home for their familes.

"Where is Sergeant Haddock?" Harry asked while approaching them after the helicopter quieted down.

"Taking Wheeler's body in to be shipped home," Andrew replied.

"What happened?" Harry inquired.

"Everything was fine the entire time and then an RPG hit Wheeler's unit. We got there to help out, after forty-five minutes, the chopper arrived. Hunter went to help Wheeler but an enemy shot him in the chest. RJ survived seven minutes of the flight and passed away," Treyden explained.

"I see. We'll hold a ceremony to honor any fallen after dinner. Get to your barracks and tell Hunter to take a few hours to himself and my door is open if he needs someone to talk to. It's never easy to lose a brother or sister on the field of battle," Harry informed. The soldiers nodded and headed for their barrack as Harry sighed and went on to inform the base leaders about the loss from Plasma Fire company during the patrol.

(Berkton; 6 pm)

Audrey was over at the Haddock residence since school was out. Viola and Salvatore were having a get together to mark Caitlyn finishing her Sophomore year, of course, the weather wasn't allowing the celebration to be outside so they were in the living room and relaxing with some TV. Audrey's phone vibrated on the arm of the couch as she looked at it and tilted her head to the side.

"What is it, Audrey?" Heather asked.

"There's about the be a live broadcast on channel eight from Camp Draconia in Iraq. Something about soldiers being KIA," Audrey mentioned. Sal reached for the remove and turned on the TV as there was a quick introduction from the newsroom and then the picture changed to Iraq with the reporter, a female this time, was standing off to the side talking about the four soldiers who had been killed in action today. The camera showed the soldiers all standing together in front of three battle crosses; a gun standing tall with a helmet on top, a pair of boots at the base, and the dog tags hanging from the handle. A way to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers.

" _ **The last fallen soldier of today is Private Randall Jameson 'RJ' Wheeler of Striker Two of the Alpha Hooligan platoon in the Plasma Fire company," Harry announced.**_

"Oh no," Sal whispered.

"What is it, Dad?" Caitlyn asked.

"Hunter is platoon leader of Hooligan, this means he lost a man, a friend in battle," Sal explained softly.

" **Four hours ago, the Hooligan platoon was caught in a fight with Iraqi enemies after an RPG hit their location. Private Wheeler was shot in the chest on the left side and saved from death on the battle field by his platoon leader Sergeant First Class Hunter Haddock. Tragically though, Private Wheeler passed away from his wounds," explained the news anchor woman.**

"I wonder how Hunter is taking this," Viola frowned while watching the TV sadly as three soldiers came to set up the last cross, each member bowing their head and then giving a salute before returning to their post. As the group watched the screen, they were able to see Hunter step forward with the dog tags belonging to his friend. Hunter stood in front of the set up and took a knee while placing the chain over the handle then he lowered his head. After a moment, Hunter stood up and offered a salute. A zoom in from the camera revealed that while they couldn't see Hunter's eyes, there were tear stains on his cheeks.

"I suppose that answers that question," Shane looked back to his aunt and uncle. On screen, Hunter placed his hand back at his side then returned to the group with his friends. A few words were said by Harry then RJ's battle buddy spoke about him. The ceremony concluded after after a final salute from everyone. The other soldiers began making their way to other locations and as the amount of people cleared out, the reporter was getting statement from the soldiers about how they handled the loss of their friends. However, it did not go unnoticed by the cameraman that Harry rushed by to catch up with some of the soldiers.

" _ **Fury, Kingston, Vollan. Where's Haddock?" Harry asked.**_

" _ **I don't know, sir. I assume he went back to the barrack with the others. Why? Is something up?" Treyden replied.**_

" _ **Well, he is the platoon leader and I need his report about earlier. I know you gave me some but I need everything and protocol says he has to be the one to deliver it," Harry explained.**_

" _ **I know it's protocol, Major Andersen but can't you give him until tomorrow morning? It's been a long and hard day for all of us, especially now with losing Wheeler. We've all been up since 0400 hours, plus the encounter with enemies," Andrew said softly.**_

" _ **If I could allow the time, I would but I already gave him a few hours and loss of a comrade or not; the base leaders have to know everything. Will you three please go find him and have him come to my office?" Harry inquired.**_

" _ **You're looking for Hunter?" asked another member of Hooligan platoon as Harry nodded. "He's in front of Wheeler's memorial," the female informed.**_

As the camera turned to follow Harry, Trey, Theo, and Andrew, it locked on to Hunter's kneeling form in front of the battle cross where it could be seen with a close up that Hunter was in more of a crouch with one hand holding the tags of his fallen friend. Treyden was the first to put his hand on Hunter's shoulder and then look back at Harry, Theo, and Andrew with a sad look in his eyes. Hunter's head was down with his free hand covering his eyes and the shaking was the only thing needed for Sal and the others in the living room to understand that Hunter was crying. Trey crouched down next to Hunter and hugged him tightly. However, before anything else was said, Harry gave a signal to cut the camera out and so it did as the screen returned to the newsroom. Sal turned ther TV off now and looked down.

(Iraq; 8:15 pm)

Harry decided to get Hunter a little more time to mourn and walked towards his office. Theo and Andrew moved to sit with Hunter. None of them talked, they just wanted to be there for Hunter. After ten minutes, Hunter wiped his eyes with his palms and the guys helped him up.

"Sorry," Hunter said in a cracked tone.

"For what? Crying over the loss of a good friend? You never have to apologize for being human, Hunter. We're all upset about it and there's no shame in shedding tears," Theo told him. "Come on, lets get back to the barrack. It's been a long day for all of us," he added.

"You guys go. I'm gonna try and call my Dad," Hunter said as the three friends nodded and walked towards the barrack. Hunter found a quieter spot and pulled out his cell phone, then powered it on. When startup had finished, Hunter saw he had two bars which was just enough to get a call through to home. Hunter dialed the house number and waited for a pick up.

(Berkton)

The landline rang twice and everyone seemed to stop looking at it sitting on the base closest to Caitlyn, she grabbed it and pressed answer before placing it to her ear. "Hello?" After a second or two, her eyes widened and filled with tears. "Oh my Gods! Hunter, is it really you?" she asked quickly. "We've been so worried abo-" she stopped short now and looked at her parents sadly before hitting the speakerphone button while Hunter was talking.

" _You're always worried about me, Cait. You know I get busy over here. I am not in the mood to deal with the 'been worried' and 'its been so long since we've talked'. I only have two bars of service, I don't know how long it's gonna last,"_ Hunter stated.

"Hunter, don't be cold to me. Okay, we saw you on TV fifteen minutes ago, we know about your friend-" Caitlyn began softly.

" _I'm not...trying to be an asshole here but put Dad on,"_ Hunter said.

"What about the rest of us? We're all here too," Caitlyn said sadly.

" _Great but right now, I just want to talk to Dad and if the signal holds after that then I'll talk to everyone else. So either put Dad on or I'll hang up and call his cell instead,"_ Hunter retorted firmly. Salvatore took the phone carefully.

"I'm here, son," Sal said calmly.

" _Are you alone?"_ Hunter asked.

"I am," Salvatore replied gently even though he wasn't, then he heard Hunter start crying. "Hunter, what's wrong, son? Talk to Dad,"

" _Does it always...have to hurt this much when you lose a friend?..."_ Hunter managed and Sal frowned.

"The pain of losing a friend whether be serving your home or freak car accident will be always hurt that much," Sal replied. "Tell me what happened, Hunter. It will help to talk about but whatever you do, don't bottle this, son. You can't, it will destroy from the inside out. That's how PTSD starts, having no outlet,"

Hunter sniffled a few times or so that's what it sounded like at least then took a breath. _"It was just a routine village patrol since 0400 hours. Everything was fine until an hour before the shift was supposed to end. An RPG hit where one of my teams was and turned into a fire fight, then hand to hand. I called for extraction, choppers came, everyone got on except RJ because he was still fighting. I-I went to help him and then the enemy pulled his gun and shot RJ in the chest, left side,"_ Hunter began to explain.

"I know how hard it is to lose a friend, Hunter. I've lost many too. You brought him back to the base and even though he passed away, take pride in knowing that his body won't stay on enemy lines, that he gets to come home,"

After Sal said that, Hunter seemed to start crying harder again and it made Sal feel like he said something he shouldn't have. _"RJ...didn't die on the base..."_ Hunter forced out.

"The anchor woman said you're the one who got him in the chopper," Sal mentioned.

" _I did...but he didn't make it to the base. RJ...died...in m-my arms,"_ Hunter sobbed quietly as Sal put a hand over his eyes, he had been hoping that wasn't the case. _"I carried RJ to the chopper and we headed for the base. Theo kept pressure on the wound and RJ was...lying against me, I kept him sitting up so he wouldn't choke on the blood he was coughing up. Gods, it was awful, Dad. RJ...called me a good man, thanked me for not leaving him there and making it so he could go home. But he didn't make it, he...died three minutes away from the base,"_

"Oh, son. I'm so sorry. I know it's not easy but just...think of how at peace he was when he went. His leader not leaving him behind, knowing that he wouldn't survive but because of you, now he gets to be buried at home. And he passed on surrounded by friends who cared about him. What I'm saying, Hunter, is that even though he's gone now...you made his last moments happy," Salvatore informed.

"The rest of us aren't happy. His...family won't be happy. I don't...see any...joy in this," Hunter coughed a few times.

"Hunter, listen to me. You remember when you were little, you asked me why the flag is always moving even when there's no wind? I told you that you would understand when you got a little older so I'm going to give you that answer. Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it; it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it. Now, I know your friend has passed away but that doesn't mean he is gone. Your friend will be that strength you ask for before a big battle, he'll be that miracle you beg for when all hope seems lost, he'll fight beside you in spirit just like all the brothers and sister who have fallen before him," Sal said calmly.

Hunter's sobbing turned back to sniffles as he wiped his eyes and coughed again. _"Hunter, we can hear you coughing from our barrack room. Take a drink before you get dehydrated again,"_ demanded Andrew.

" _It might be 8:30 at night but it's still 96 degrees outside,"_ Theo added with a sigh. _"Major wants to see you about what happened,"_

" _Of course he does,"_ Hunter mumbled a bit. _"Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes,"_ A slight pause on Hunter's end before he sighed heavily. _"I guess I better go for now, I'll try to call back after I talk to Andersen,"_

"Go do what you have to do son. Don't worry about calling back, it's been a long day for you. The best advice is this; go take a cool shower, drink some water, and go to sleep. Okay? We can talk after you've had some time to mourn with your other comrades." Sal said ignoring the silent glares and protests from his wife and daughter about wanting to talk to Hunter too.

" _I'll call again next chance I get. Oh! I know I'm on speakerphone because I can hear the echo. So, I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to all of you but tonight I really just needed my Dad. Anyway I give everyone my love. With any luck, I'll get to see you guys and girls soon. They started letting us request our leave time off at the start of June. I put in for two weeks in July but no guarantees I'll get it,"_ Hunter said softly. _"And Dad...thanks. I feel a lot better than I did earlier, I knew talking to you would help,"_

"Anytime, son. Now go on before you get in trouble. We love and miss you so much," Salvatore smiled.

" _Love and miss you too. Bye for now,"_ Hunter replied and then the call ended. Sal put the phone back on the base with a smile and relaxed. Sal knew why Hunter wanted to talk to him about this, because Sal had been through losing friends too. Of course, Viola and Caitlyn were both jealous of the relationship that Hunter and Salvatore had, the two were closer than anyone else Hunter associated with. Even Viola and Caitlyn came in third to Gregory Forger, Sal's best friend and Godfather of Hunter and Caitlyn, their unofficial uncle. Sal felt good knowing he helped Hunter during this tough time when he'd lost a good friend. Salvatore loved the fact that Hunter wasn't ashamed to show him the emotions he felt when things happened.

For Salvatore, this was just one more situation where Hunter and him got to have a genuine heart to heart with one another and made things better than they were before.


	15. A Job Well Done

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

A Job Well Done

Hunter did feel a lot better since that day he talked to his father about the death of RJ. Hunter knew if he could turn to anyone for comfort on the matter that it was his Dad hands down. That didn't mean Hunter couldn't talk to his friends or one of the other officers in his company, but that night Hunter just needed his Dad and was grateful that the signal held during the conversation. Though Hunter did feel bad he didn't get to talk to the rest of his family and friends because it was rare he could get a call in from his cell phone, he did it that way because he didn't want anyone to see him crying. Hunter knew Eddie and Drew were there and Hunter would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him essentially break down over losing a friend in his arms. Hunter hadn't cared about being on speakerphone, he suspected as much when Caitlyn answered the phone, but he didn't care.

Hunter took a day or two after that call to mourn and get his thoughts together; then things began to feel normal again with Hunter keeping his father's words in mind about remembering that RJ would be with him and the other members of the platoon in spirit. It was a few weeks later now, as it was a Sunday at the end of June. The 25th to be exact, exciting day because it marked officially seven months since Hunter had gotten deployed with his company to Iraq. Hunter had put in for some leave time at the start of June to go in July to see everyone before they went back to school at the end of August. So far, Hunter hadn't heard if such time was approved or not. The main thing Harry had to do was make sure that he didn't lose too many soldiers at once. After losing RJ and three more that day, Plasma Fire only had eighty-three members remaining.

It was a dull day for Hooligan, orders from Harry were to relax a little, and they'd only be doing something if the base got attacked or there was an emergency. Hunter was resting on his bed because last night from 11 pm to 11 am this morning, Hooligan was on baseline guard to watch for attacks. After that, the group of twenty-two soldiers returned to their barracks to take off the heavy gear, get some late breakfast, then take a shower and go to sleep. Today seemed like a good one to just lounge around lazily and be thankful they didn't have any work today. The rest of the platoon as far as Hunter could tell were over in the entertainment hall being it was just after lunch time, Hunter decided to return to the barracks for a nap, though, he was finding it hard to sleep during the day even if they were exhausted from the guard detail.

Hunter glanced at his watch to read the time as 3:37 pm. Hunter remembered getting an e-mail a few days ago from his father saying that everyone would be over today for a picnic and it'd be good to hear from him if he could manage it. Hunter pulled his laptop out of the drawer on his bunk then got the charger plugged in while he powered the computer on and logged in to Skype. The wifi seemed to be decent right now. Hopefully, it would last a little while so he could talk to everyone. Hunter saw his father, sister, Audrey, Fisher, and Travis online. Not that it mattered because they were all in the same place about now for the picnic being it was almost 2 pm back home. Hunter clicked on his father's name then when the instant message screen came up, Hunter moved the mouse towards the call button and waited for it to connect then start the call.

It did not take long for an answer; Hunter suspected that his father probably had his mother's laptop up with Skype signed in for the sake of Hunter calling if he could. Hunter pushed the laptop back on the bed and adjusted the camera, of course, it was very laggy and not an entirely clear picture but he was able to see his father sitting center, his mother and Caitlyn on the right, Audrey on the left and then the others trying to be in the shot somehow.

" _Hunter! I'm so glad you could call!"_ Salvatore greeted with a smile.

Hunter waved with a smile back. "I'm glad the signal is strong enough to make a connection, which is odd because typically the worst time to use the wifi is during the day. I won't knock it working. Hi everyone,"

" _It's unlike you to be able to call midday,"_ Audrey pointed out.

" _And you look beat,"_ Caitlyn added.

"I was on baseline guard for twelve hours starting at 2300 last night. Had an early lunch and attempted to sleep but couldn't so I thought I would try and get a call in," Hunter shrugged.

" _We're happy you were able to get through, Hunter. We've missed you so much and didn't get to talk last time a few weeks ago,"_ Viola mentioned.

"Well, a few weeks ago when I called wasn't exactly a good day, and it's still not something I wanna have brought up so if we can just leave that subject alone, I'd be appreciative," Hunter stated with a sigh.

" _Sorry son. So how are things there?"_ Viola asked.

"Quiet honestly. Today is a day off to relax for Hooligan platoon since we pulled the twelve-hour guard shift. It was only supposed to be six hours, but unforeseen circumstances changed that. Everyone else is over in the entertainment hall, and I'm just sitting in the barrack by myself," Hunter replied.

" _Why are you by yourself? Not that I'm complaining because we get to talk to you but out of curiosity?"_ Caitlyn inquired.

"As I said, after the guard I came back here to try and sleep, and I guess they weren't tired, so they decided to leave me be. Or they've got the instruments and karaoke machine out, so they're having a good time," Hunter answered.

" _You guys are allowed to have that kind of fun there?"_ questioned Eddie.

"Contrary to popular belief, we're not always fighting over here. We get quite a bit of down time, and even on patrol in the different towns, we have fun. It's usually entertaining the kids," Hunter informed.

" _You hang out with them? Aren't you at war with those people?"_ Drew remarked now.

"Not everyone wants this war. So yes, pretty often I or others will play with the kids while keeping them safe," Hunter stated.

" _Wouldn't catch me being friendly to them,"_ Eddie huffed. _"Their people attacked us first,"_

"You know, it's that way of thinking why the wars exist. How can you say you won't be friendly to them? Just because they look different, live their lives differently from how we do? These wars started because some people don't like our way of life or others. Yeah, I'm out here protecting my home, but I'm also protecting the people who don't want to fight like women and children. Just because some want bloodshed does not mean they all do. Our purpose in these wars isn't to fight back because they attacked us, it's to stop the fighting once and for all so everyone can live free with peace," Hunter said calmly.

" _Well said, son,"_ Salvatore smiled proudly.

"Just doing my job," Hunter replied. "How are things back home?"

" _Calm. We're on summer vacation, most of us have part time jobs now,"_ Heather responded.

"Good for you guys," Hunter smiled.

" _Any word on if you're getting leave soon?"_ Caitlyn asked.

"Nothing yet. Major Andersen is still trying to work it all out because most of us have put in for the same time frame to go home and obviously, we can't have too many soldiers gone at one time," Hunter shrugged.

" _Of course not,"_ Salvatore nodded in agreement. For the next twenty minutes, Hunter enjoyed talking to everyone with the connection holding steady. However, it didn't last longer than that when the horn sounded once, and Hunter paused. The horn sounding meant there might be an attack and check in with company leaders to find out orders. Hunter grabbed his radio off the shelf next to him and flipped it on to channel four.

" _What's going on?"_ Viola asked.

[Alpha Hooligan to Plasma Fire. Over.] Hunter said with the radio closer to him.

 **[Plasma Fire to Alpha Hooligan, go ahead. Over.]**

[The horn sounded. Orders? Over.]

 **[Switch to company channel. Over.]**

Hunter turned the dial to three. [Alpha Hooligan checking in. Over.]

 **[Charlie Conqueror present. Over.]**

 **[Delta Nightmare here. Over.]**

 **[Bravo Berserker. Over.]**

 **[Round up your soldiers. Charlie, Delta, Bravo, meet me at the baseline. Alpha, there is a chopper waiting for you on pad two. Friendlies are requiring backup. Over.]** Harry ordered them.

[Roger that. Alpha Hooligan over and out.] Hunter got off his bed just as his platoon was returning. "Gear up boys and girls!" Hunter called to them before turning his attention to the computer. "Gotta go. Love you, talk to you next time I can," he told them while getting on his vest, gloves, and helmet.

" _We love you too. Stay safe, son."_ Sal replied as Hunter shut the laptop and hurried out quickly while everyone else was getting ready as well. Ten minutes later, they were rushing to the helicopter pad where two were waiting for them.

"Load up!" Hunter ordered, and everyone split up and climbed in as he was last and shut the door then gave the second pilot the command to go. Soon they were in the air and heading to their location to help out some friendlies who were in trouble.

(A Town Close To Draconia Base; An Hour Later)

This was not a battle for only twenty-two people. The Hooligan platoon was severely outnumbered and to make matters worse; they were in a residential district with small shops and family homes which meant civilians were now at stake if the fight didn't stay where it was.

"Sergeant Haddock, we gotta get out of here. We can't take all of thirty-five of them!" yelled someone close to him.

Hunter knew they couldn't, and he had called for backup fifteen minutes ago, yet no help had come. "We can't just run either, or no one is here to protect them," Hunter motioned to the small group of civilians hiding in the building that they were defending. After the first bomb had gone off killing six civilians, Hunter ordered for his soldiers to evacuate the block to a safer place they could all stay together in. Hunter knew where most of the enemies were centered and a big enough attack would send them running. Hunter had a weapon that could do that, but it would cause more damage to the homes. What choice did that leave him with? Wait for backup to arrive or make a break for their choppers and get away?

Leaving wasn't an option right now. There were women and children in the building the Archi soldiers were defending. "Hunter, we can't keep this up. We'll run out of ammo before we push them back and hand combat is a death sentence," Danielle called to him.

"Amber! Take the girls and get back to the choppers, they got heavier weaponry to push these enemies back with. We'll stay and keep the locals safe," Hunter called. Amber nodded and signaled the girls to follow her while Hunter and the men continued firing to offer cover. It was all he could think to do for right now. Help wasn't arriving fast enough, and they would all end up dead if they stayed to fight. However, Hunter noticed something off. The firing from the enemy side was lessening, so Hunter put his arm out. "Cease fire," he ordered.

"Did they retreat?" Treyden asked, and Hunter stayed silent while looking around. Finally, he spotted something on the building across from them. This time the enemies held a variety of automatic guns. Could it get any worse?

"Take cover inside, stay away from the doors and windows!" Hunter demanded. Without an argument, the soldiers rushed inside and avoided being hit by the barrage of bullets. Hunter spotted a back door and tried to open it, but it was blocked by something. Hunter jammed his arm and shoulder into the door a few times before it finally gave way as he moved out of the way. "Get them out of here,"

That was his plan, for now, get the civilians farther away from the fighting as possible. Hunter knew these enemies had bigger weapons and his gut told him that they were just waiting to get everyone in one building. When the bullets came slower, Hunter peered out the window to see two soldiers getting RPG launchers set up. Hunter rushed out with the others panting but then he heard a concerned mother saying she couldn't find her daughter. Hunter looked back at the building and turned to head back.

"Hunter! What are you doing!" Andrew said quickly.

"Get out of ran-" Hunter started.

"RPG!" shouted Conner pointing to the soldiers on the roof. Hunter saw them, then the young three-year-old daughter in the building they had just escaped from. Hunter hurried inside and picked her up; then the RPG's fired as Hunter put the little girl down on the ground and covered her figure with his own.

"HUNTER!" Treyden, Theo, and Andrew yelled in fear as the RPG's hit the building with two massive explosions, then the sound of crumbling was heard in the thick smoke. As if on queue, the choppers flew in and took out the remaining soldiers, then sent some running for it. The speed of the blades was able to blow some of the smoke away as they saw the building had collapsed down into a large pile of rubble and cement. The helicopters set down, two of which were the ones that Hooligan platoon came in with and then a third one held Major Andersen with another ten soldiers to help out.

"Where's Haddock?" Harry asked quickly.

"H-He went back in to get...a little girl out, and two RPG's hit the building," Theo said though still in shock.

"Those pieces look they fell into a point or dome shape; Hunter could still be alive under them. The rubble isn't stable and can fall with too much movement if not removed correctly," Harry rubbed his chin after inspecting the crumbled structure. "Use the choppers and cables, we'll have to move the pieces to ensure anything under it doesn't collapse further in," he added as a few broke off and loaded into the choppers to get to work.

(Thirty Minutes Later)

With the biggest pieces moved, there was still no sign of Hunter or the little girl, but the remaining pieces were small enough to be moved by the soldiers on their own. "Let's search it!" Treyden called as the platoon, Harry, and other troops began to move about the rubble, working together to lift heavy pieces and get them out of the way.

"Hunter!" Andrew yelled along with others doing the same hoping to get some response. Another twenty minutes went by before a stroke of luck hit them as they were preparing to leave and accepting that Hunter was crushed beneath everything.

Treyden stared at the rubble with Andrew and Theo, pain rising in their chests to know they lost their friend. In the silence, something was heard shifting. "You...heard that, right?" Theo asked as the other two nodded and they looked around to find the source. Towards the right, the smaller pieces were shifting and then finally, a hand broke through.

"Major Andersen! He's alive!" Treyden exclaimed rushing to the spot and moving more of the rocks until he could see Hunter's face. "Hang on; we'll get you out! Are you okay?!"

"Little...hard to breathe," Hunter panted. "And I...might...have cracked a rib or two. Not sure...bleeding and a lot of pain..." he cringed afterward.

"Calm down, Haddock. It the little girl okay?" Harry asked after making it over to see him while the others worked to move the rubble to get to him.

"A little scared but just fine," Hunter coughed a few times.

"Major, these won't budge, and the chopper is too big to get in to lift it. We're gonna have to pull him out through the top, but that will put a lot of strain on his side," Andrew informed.

"It's fine, just get me outta here. Take the girl first; you can't reach her if I come out before her," Hunter cringed a bit as he lifted her up so Andrew and Theo could pull her out and hand her off to another soldier who would take her down to her mother. Trey got lower and reached his hand down to grab Hunter's tightly, and then Harry reached for the other hand as both began to pull him up. With Hunter's side stretching, his hissed in pain but soon with help from Theo and Conner, Hunter was out of the small hole and carried down to the main level.

"Lay him down, gently now," Harry instructed as the three soldiers set Hunter down on the ground and took off his gun, vest, helmet, and gloves. Harry opened up the ACU jacket and looked to Hunter's right side to see all the blood. Hunter was dizzy and trying to stay conscious, but with the blood loss and pain, the task wasn't so easily done.

"Odin almighty. Did you get scraped or something?" Theo asked.

"That's no scrape, that's a gunshot wound. We need to stop the blood flow," Harry said quickly two soldiers reacted by bringing over towels to apply pressure with. "When did you get shot and how long have you been bleeding for?"

"I-I don't...know...when did the building get hit?..." Hunter breathed heavily as he felt the wound get pressed on hard.

"Almost an hour ago," Treyden told him.

"I felt pain rip through my side just before the RPG's hit. I-I covered the kid, and when everything crashed down, it fell around and trapped us in, but nothing fell on us except a few smaller chunks of cement and rock...one of those pieces hit my ribs," Hunter tried to explain.

"Everyone load up. Hunter needs medical attention, or he isn't going to make it much longer with how long he's been bleeding for. I tried to get here sooner, we had a bigger fight close to the base, and I couldn't leave," Harry sighed. The small group of them got Hunter into Harry's chopper and climbed in after him as they soon took off back to the base.

(Draconia Base Camp)

Immediately after landing, Hunter was taken directly to the infirmary for treatment while the rest of the soldiers returned to their barracks with worry for their friend. Harry said he would give them updates as he received them and whatever they do, don't inform his family of what happened or talk to the reporter walking around looking for a story to put out on the 6 pm news. Understand their orders, the soldiers just stayed put until dinner time and even then, there was no word on how Hunter was doing. The time after dinner was 7 pm when Harry came to the barrack and summoned them outside.

"I have word on Hunter for you, Hooligans. Hunter was shot in the right side with no real damage done except the extended time that he bled and being in such a small space and couldn't apply pressure to stop it. The doctor says that it was ruled a closed wound meaning that the wound was shallow enough to avoid surgery but still lost a lot of blood. So, his side is stitched and wrapped. Hunter was given blood to make up for what he lost. In addition to that, Hunter also has a cracked rib from when the rock hit him. Right now, he's stable and resting in the Dreki Battalion infirmary. Hunter's total heal time should be three to four weeks for it all," Harry explained.

Relief washed over the platoon as it showed on their faces. "He's still in right?" asked one of the girls from Striker Two.

"Of course, this isn't the type of wound that would get him discharged. The medic said he could return to the barrack in a few days, but he has to take it easy, so the wound doesn't reopen. Hunter will be permitted to light duty for two weeks but can still participate in guard shifts but if anything should point to a fight, he will need to return to the barrack, and I will stand in his place," Harry explained.

"Oh, thank the Gods," Treyden, Theo, and Andrew.

"You will be allowed to visit him tomorrow when he wakes up but in groups of no more than four at a time. In other aspects of tonight, I believe a job well done is in order. You stayed together, protected those locals, and worked as a team to save your leader. An excellent job tonight Alpha Hooligan. You've earned yourselves a day off tomorrow, get some rest," Harry smiled.

"Yes sir," the soldiers saluted and moved back into their barrack to get ready to relax. Hunter was alive and okay, plus they got a job well done from Major Andersen on today's performance. Now they could all rest easy after a long day.


	16. A Farewell Mission

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

A Farewell Mission

Hunter's family, friends, and girlfriend were worried about Hunter after he got called to duty so quickly after they finally got the chance to talk to him for more than ten minutes. Thus far, it had been two weeks since they heard from him and normally that wasn't anything to be concerned about but this time Hunter didn't have to go because of the bad connection, it was due to Hunter being needed for a battle. Audrey had been clutching her phone the rest of that day hoping to hear something on the news about what was going on, though, no such luck happened. When it got late everyone left, and all they did was pray Hunter was all right. Now, they were in the month of July, two weeks after that situation occurred. In the last two weeks; there had been no calls, no instant messages, no e-mails, or letters.

The time now was 5 pm as Audrey and Shane were over at the Haddock residence. Renee, Travis, Fisher, and Heather were on their way between Drew and Eddie's vehicles. Viola was a mess with worry and Caitlyn wasn't far off from becoming hysterical with tears for her older brother.

"Hunter never goes this long without an update..." Caitlyn nervously bit her nails, "You don't think he could have died?"

Viola whipped around quickly. "Caitlyn! Don't say such things! Hunter...is not dead. I'm sure he's just...busy, like always,"

Salvatore sighed heavily as he went to answer the door when the others arrived and let them in. "Settle down, Vi. You too, Caitlyn. Now as a former military man myself, I can assure you that if Hunter had passed away overseas, then we would have received a personal visit from a notification officer and chaplain to tell us. Unless a black car pulls up outside the house carrying two people in formal attire, then Hunter is still alive," Sal informed as everyone else was sitting down.

"I'll take it that none of you have heard from him either then?" Fisher asked as Audrey shook her head. There was a group sigh, and then the sound of a Skype call was heard from the computer desk. Their eyes widened as Sal hurried over and sat down to see a call coming in from Hunter. Sal accepted it and then waited for it to connect fully.

"Hunter?" Sal asked as the picture became clearer.

" _It's Treyden actually, Mr. Haddock. Hunter fell asleep trying to wait for a good signal to call with,"_ Treyden replied in a whisper as his face came on screen.

"Why is he sleeping so early in the afternoon?" Audrey inquired.

" _Hunter's recovery is taking a lot out of him, and he asked me to watch for a signal and keep trying to get through, then wake him up if I managed to,"_ Trey informed.

"Recovery? What happened to my baby?" Viola questioned quickly.

" _Happened two weeks ago on that mission we had to rush out for, Hunter got hurt on it,"_ Treyden explained.

"How hurt?" Caitlyn jumped in now.

" _Nothing life-threatening, thank the Gods. Hang on; I'll wake him up for you so he can explain,"_ After that, they saw the camera move slightly and face towards Hunter's sleeping form. _"Hunter...hey, wake up,"_ Treyden whispered and shook Hunter a bit as he groaned and shifted but remained asleep. _"Hunter! Wake the hell up!"_ That time, they saw Trey shove Hunter's right side, and it forced Hunter to snap awake and sit up while holding his right side and cringing from pain.

" _Why did you go for the right side?!"_ Hunter panted a little.

" _Oops. Sorry man, I forgot which side you got wounded on. Are you okay?"_ Treyden asked, though, the family couldn't see him. Hunter moved his arms and lifted his shirt a little, and that's when the others were able to see the wrappings around his midsection.

" _I'm...fine aside from the pain. You didn't bust the stitches, so we're good. Now, why did you wake me up again?"_ Hunter asked.

" _I got through to your family for you,"_ Trey reminded while placing the laptop on Hunter's bed.

" _Oh, thanks. Where is everyone else?"_ Hunter asked looking around the room.

" _Probably heading to dinner. You joining us or should I bring you back some grub?"_ Treyden smiled.

" _I'll come after I get off Skype,"_ Hunter nodded to Trey as the two connected hands then Treyden left as Hunter turned his attention back to the screen. _"Hey guys,"_ he greeted.

"Hi, son. What happened to you?" Salvatore asked after putting a hand up to make Viola and Caitlyn be quiet from freaking out.

" _Just a couple battle wounds, Dad. I'm okay, don't worry,"_ Hunter offered a smile to him, but of course, his father knew better.

"You mentioned having stitches, and we saw your midsection wrapped, that's not a few battle wounds if it happened two weeks ago. Come on, son. I know when you're holding back information, out with it," Sal stated firmly as Hunter sighed heavily.

" _Can't I just...call you later and tell only you because Mom, Audrey, and Caitlyn are going to wig out and cry..."_ Hunter asked, but Sal shook his head. _"Fine. I cracked a rib and...got shot in the side,"_

Not more than a moment after he said it, Viola began with the tears while Audrey and Caitlyn looked horror-struck at the information. "I told you something happened to him!" Caitlyn cried.

"Will you three cut it out? Unfortunately, it's just another event that can happen in war. I'd like to know how it happened and I can't hear with the crying," Sal remarked as the three women attempted to control themselves. "Tell me what happened, Hunter,"

" _You know I can't go into a lot of detail because of security reasons, but the allowed version is that I went into a building to save a little kid, got shot in the side, and then two RPG's hit the building and buried us under the rubble. Thankfully, it fell in a way that was over us rather than on. The guys pulled the kid and me out, and we returned to base where I was sent directly to the support hospital for treatment,"_ Hunter explained.

"Hunter Haddock, I don't like this anymore; you were shot and almost buried alive just to save one of those people! Now enough is enough, I won't allow you to do this anymore, and I refuse to keep supporting it. You come home this instance!" Viola demanded. The room was quiet after Viola said she wouldn't support Hunter's choice anymore and all anyone was able to see was Hunter's eyes go from calm to cold in a single blink.

" _You don't have a say in what I do, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me. This is my life and my choice. I refuse to have the argument again. Thanks for finally showing your true feelings on the matter, though. I had hoped t wouldn't come to this but as usual, getting my hopes up with you is as effective as hoping my friends who have died will come back to life. Knowing what I do, well, I just don't feel like talking anymore so I'm going to go and you probably won't hear from me until I get my leave. And even then, it's likely not worth my time to see someone who doesn't give a damn. When everyone wonders why they haven't heard from me, it won't be because I'm too busy or a shitty signal; it will be your fault this time,"_ Hunter ended the call a second later before anyone could protest.

The group watched as Hunter's online status went to offline after his status message changed.

 **I never imagined my mother could hurt me in such a way. I guess it's true what they say, the worst part about betrayal is that it never comes from an enemy.**

"The sad part is that you never got this way when I was in the army, Vi. I've been shot, stabbed, and much more but you always stood by and supported me because you loved me and knew I would keep doing what I loved to do. Why couldn't you just do the same for our son? And now we have to hope and pray that he calms down and decides to call again," Sal got up from the desk and walked away with his eyes closed.

(Thursday; September 14th, 2017-Camp Draconia; Iraq)

Two entire months had gone by, and Hunter refused to call home because yes, he was still upset with his mother for what she said that night when Hunter revealed why he hadn't called in two weeks due to being injured. Hunter received instant messages from Skype even being his online status was set to invisible-appearing offline to others. Hunter got e-mails from Caitlyn, Audrey, and his father practically begging him to make contact because they still supported him and not everyone should have to suffer because his mother decided to go back on what she said. Hunter knew they were right, but he also was aware that his mother would likely just be waiting for Hunter to call so she could apologize and take it back. Hunter would not fall for it again, he gave his mother many chances to support him, and he believed her the once during the family day, there wouldn't be a second chance for him to get hurt.

The Hooligan platoon noticed his shift in moods when they returned from dinner and asked if Hunter was still in the Skype call, but Hunter only shook his head and said he wouldn't be calling home for a while because of his mother. Trey, Theo, and Andrew understood what it meant because they remembered how the family day had gone when Hunter said if his friends and relatives wouldn't support his choice then they could leave because this is what he wanted to do. Hunter didn't eat that night, he just took a painkiller and went to bed early. After Hunter was cleared for full duty again, his mood lightened a bit and was somewhat back to being himself, but they knew that Hunter's mother had hurt him and that would always bother Hunter in one way or another.

So here the soldiers were in the second week of September. Ten of their eighteen-month tour completed and only a small fraction of the members of Plasma Fire had gotten to take their leave time. Some went for a week, others for two. Hunter was actually kind of glad that his requested time never got approved for July because he was not ready to go home and deal with everything yet. Right now, Alpha Hooligan was on a contact mission at 8 pm, and things had gone from good to bad in only an hour with one member of Striker One killed in action; Private Elizabeth Campbell who was stabbed in the neck and bled out in mere seconds. Nikolas and Conner wrapped the wound even though she couldn't be saved and took her off the battlefield to be brought back when this was over.

Danielle was a mess at the loss of her battle buddy, and Hunter removed her from the fight because she wasn't able to focus. Hunter had to get them out of this mess, it had been an ambush, and the contact was killed after Hunter got the information they were meeting up for.

"What's the plan, Hunter?" Treyden asked while they were taking cover behind a wall.

"There isn't that many, and this isn't a close range fight anymore. We already lost Liz, I won't lose anyone else, so let's use a few grenades as cover and make a break for our choppers out of here," Hunter stated while turning the corner to peer around for enemies, a shot snaked the cement and nearly got him in the arm. "Woah!"

"They have to be taking shots from the rooftops to be able to see us enough to shoot," Conner mentioned.

"That puts a hold on your idea," Zander stated. "If they see us from above, the grenade won't matter,"

"A regular one won't but what about a flasher?" Treyden offered.

"That's...crazy enough to work. A flasher can blind them for a minute, then use a regular one and escape through the smoke," Theo added.

"All right, here's what we're gonna do. We need to run straight ahead, and we've got enemies on our left, right, and above. You six throw flashers in each direction except straight, and you six use regular grenades. I want three in the same direction the flashers went, then three dead ahead of us and we'll run," Hunter instructed.

"Got it, Sergeant. Who is...gonna carry Liz?" Andrew asked after they all nodded in agreement to the idea.

Hunter was quiet a moment. "I will," he finally said.

(Fifteen Minutes Later)

Hunter's plan worked perfectly! As soon as they had the cover of the grenade smoke, they ran out of sight to escape to their helicopters to get back to the base. Liz was laid in the back and covered up then Hunter did a roll call to make sure everyone was there. Hunter went through Striker Two first and then onto Striker One. Liz was there, though she had passed away.

"Michaels," Hunter called. No answer. "Private Michaels?" Nothing again. "Jay?" Silence as Hunter looked back to where they had been. Hunter heard gunfire and doubted it was the enemies attacking one another.

"Hunter, no! The last time you tried to go back into a fight we escaped from, you almost got killed! Not again!" Treyden stopped Hunter from leaving the helicopter when he saw Hunter about to leave.

"We don't abandon our friends, and no one gets left behind. Now I'm the leader of this platoon, and whether Jay is alive or dead, I'm bringing him back with us," Hunter pulled away from Treyden and ran towards the sound of the gunfire. Ten minutes had passed before Hunter was seen making his way towards the chopper, the firing had stopped, and Hunter had his head down while walking. Over his shoulders laying motionless, there was Jay Michaels, the battle buddy of Zander Radco. Hunter put Jay's body next to Liz's and covered him as well before holding the pole. "Return to the base," he said in a soft tone.

With nothing else said, the two choppers took to the night sky and headed in the direction of the Draconia base-a twenty-minute flight of silence. Upon arriving, Hunter got out to meet Andersen on the pad.

"Welcome back, Sergeant Haddock. How did the mission go?" Harry asked.

"I got the information from the contact before we were ambushed. Contact dead, Privates Jay Michaels and Elizabeth Campbell as well. Both bodies recovered and in the back of chopper two," Hunter said to him.

"I know it's not easy to lose your friends, but we all know the risk of being soldiers, Hunter. Relay me the contact information, and then you're free to return to your barrack and get some sleep. We can hold a ceremony in the morning after breakfast for Michaels and Campbell," Harry put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter gave the nod and Harry motioned for four soldiers to come over and take the bodies away. Hunter gave Harry the information he wanted and then, sure enough, Hunter returned to the barrack for a shower and then climbed into bed, falling asleep by 10 pm.

(Friday, September 15th, 2017; 5:45 pm)

The ceremony for Jay and Liz went the same as any other soldier who passed away from Plasma Fire. Not every company did this; some only held a memorial once a month to honor any who died in action but not Plasma Fire. No, they held a ceremony the next day after losing someone. It took place after breakfast, and the Harry allowed his group to grieve the remainder of the day. When dinner came around, Harry located Hunter sitting with Treyden, Theo, Andrew and the other members of Striker One.

"Sergeant Haddock, may I have a word with you outside please?" Harry asked. Hunter nodded as he got up and exited the chow hall with Harry. "As you know, the fallen soldiers of yesterday are being sent to Archi Island Sunday morning at 0300 hours. Normally, this is not done. However, it was a personal request of Private Michaels's family that you and the rest of Striker One present for the burial. I know we can't do much in these hard times, but we do try and grant the grieving families their wishes,"

"Are you sending Striker One back to Archi for the purpose of fulfilling this desire?" Hunter asked calmly.

"Yes. So, tomorrow night you ten will also be flying to Archi Island with the bodies of your fallen friends of Striker One. The families of Jay and Elizabeth will be at the airport for the dignified transfer from plane to funeral car. You are to dress in your formals and follow protocols. The funeral is to be held on Sunday, September 17th at 4 in the afternoon," Harry explained.

"Orders understood, Major Andersen. Anything else?" Hunter asked formally.

"Just one thing. I'm aware that you and Striker One have not been granted your leave and seeing as you will all be in one spot for the funerals, you are allowed the 18th through the 22nd for grievance, and then from the 23rd of September until the 6th of October, you are permitted your two weeks leave. On the 7th, you will fly back here for the rest of the tour," Harry informed.

"Thank you, sir. I will tell the others, and we'll be ready for Sunday morning departure," Hunter saluted. Harry nodded as Hunter returned to the chow hall and told Striker One what Harry had said about the funerals, and then two weeks leave time to follow it. Understanding that it was more of a direct order, they couldn't fight it and more on that, they didn't want to. Losing Liz and Jay hurt them and they needed time to heal from that, what better way than being out of the way for almost three weeks? Of course, the ten soldiers of Striker One also knew that before their leave could begin, there was a mission to complete; a mission to say goodbye to two of their friends.


	17. Ended A Long Day

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Ended A Long Day

After receiving the orders from Major Andersen and dinner had finished, the ten soldiers of Striker One made their way to the barrack to start packing their belongings to return home with on Sunday at three in the morning. It was going to be a long flight and day for the group. Flying for twelve or so hours, then preform the dignified transfer, also attend the ceremonies for Jay and Liz, and finally after that they could see their own families and go home and have a few days to mourn before starting their leave time. Hunter would have to contact his father about coming back because he needed his formals and Treyden's too which a set was thankfully over at Hunter's place for the just in case purpose that they might be necessary and Treyden's Dad wasn't home to bring them.

Hunter decided to wait on calling home until they were on a layover, it would be easier that way but Hunter didn't know if he would tell his Dad about what was going on. Once his father knew he was coming home, he would tell everyone else and they would all end up wanting to be at the airport to see him. Hunter didn't want to see his mother still but couldn't be an ass to her either. It didn't matter, he wasn't going to be happy to see them upon arriving because of what he had to do when he got there. The ceremonies would be held together in the city and then caskets would be taken to their respected hometowns for burial. Jay had been from Visiham and Liz resided in Bersdale, all our families knew one another because of the family day during Basic.

Right now, the soldiers were just landing on their first layover in Denmark after a four hour and thirty minute flight from Iraq. Hunter had to oversee the transfer of Jay and Liz's caskets to the next plane, a commercial flight that would take them then rest of the way to Archi Island. The flight time had changed as for some off reason, the person who arranged the flight forgot to factor in time zones and layovers. So instead of leaving Iraq at three in the morning, they left at 5:30 am. With the flight from Iraq to Denmark being four and a half hours plus subtracting an hour due to time difference, they were now landing at 10 am in Denmark and there would be a two-hour layover so they would leave and continue on to Archi Island at noon time.

Hunter decided to wait until it was closer to leaving Denmark before making the phone call to his Dad. Hunter didn't want to risk talking to his mother yet, not with all this going on. Hunter had known Jay and Liz since the start of Basic Training and it hurt a lot to know they were gone now. It might even hurt more than losing RJ and he died in Hunter's arms. When Hunter found Jay, he had been shot in the heart and was already dead. Hunter got Jay over his shoulders and carried him back to the chopper and that was it. Now here they were bringing home Jay and Liz's bodies and it honestly sucked to have to be the group that did it on request.

(11:45 am)

With only fifteen minutes until boarding the commercial flight back to Archi, Hunter decided he had to call home to let his Dad know. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone and powered it on. After a minute, Hunter saw he had a full signal and pulled up his father's mobile number and called it.

(Haddock Household)

Audrey and Shane were over but not the others, they figured it was a lost cause to come anymore because Hunter hadn't called in two months and why would today be any different. However, shock seemed to fall over the quiet room containing five people when Salvatore's phone rang and they all looked to him quickly. Salvatore reached for it on the side table and his eyes widened.

"It's Hunter," Sal whispered then pressed the accept call button and put it on speakerphone. "Hi, son," he greeted after putting a finger to his lips for the others to stay quiet and listen.

" _Hi, Dad. Look I don't have a lot of time to talk, so I'm gonna ask that you and anyone else listening in doesn't freak out. For starters, no, I'm not hurt. Secondly, yes I'm still mad at Mom. Lastly, I'll be home in about two hours,"_ Hunter stated as their eyes widened.

"Oh, that's...wonderful to hear, Hunter. We've been so worried about you these past two months," Sal replied calmly, remembering that Hunter asked them not to freak out.

" _I'm in Denmark on the layover for another fifteen minutes, and then we're boarding a commercial flight into Archi Island. I should be landing a little before 3 pm."_ Hunter informed him.

"I'm so happy we'll get to see you. If I can...ask, are you okay? You don't sound happy to be coming home," Salvatore asked.

" _It's not...under the best circumstances in which my leave was granted. Also, please understand that once you see me, it will only be for a few short minutes as I have orders to carry out before I can go home with all of you,"_ Hunter told him calmly.

"I understand, Hunter. I can't wait to see you, son. I've missed you so much," Salvatore smiled.

" _I've missed you too, Dad. Our gate just got called to board. See you in about two hours; we'll be arriving at Gate 15-A. Love you, bye for now,"_ Hunter replied then he hung up as Sal lowered his phone with a half smile.

"What...did he mean by the circumstances that got his leave granted, Daddy?" Caitlyn asked.

"It means that he was sent home to do something else and then since he would already be here just to take his leave as well. And it would appear that Treyden is following suit. Hunter said he had orders to carry about before he could come home," Salvatore explained as he looked at them then sighed.

"Should I call the others?" Audrey questioned.

"You can but I would try and keep Eddie and Drew from coming as well. I don't think Hunter will be in a mood for them to be there," Salvatore mentioned. Audrey nodded as the went to pulled up a group text to let Renee, Travis, Heather, and Fisher know that Hunter would be home in two hours, also that she and Shane would be going with the Haddock family. The last thing she mentioned was that Hunter seemed down and not to bring Eddie and Drew since they didn't count as Hunter's friends.

(Two Hours Later; Archi Island Airport)

Finally, the flight was over. Hunter and the remaining nine members of Striker One were back home and now had to carry out their orders of performing the dignified transfer for Jay and Liz, this meant carrying their caskets from the cargo hold of the plane over to the funeral cars and then following behind the families of both fallen soldiers to offer comfort to those grieving. Hunter had been informed while in Denmark from Harry that there would be a military vehicle there when they arrived and there would be a few extra soldiers if he needed the help. The plane pulled up to the gate as Hunter tried to prepare himself for this. Thankfully, Harry also stated that they could wear their ACU's since it would be hard for everyone to get their formal wear on.

The flight attendant stepped up and turned on the intercom while visible to all the passengers. "At this time, we would like to ask that the soldiers of Archi Island make their way off the plane and through the gate first. Let's give them a round of applause for their safe return home," Hunter stood up with his bag and then the rest of Striker One did the same. The passengers remaining began to clap and cheer for them. The ten soldiers moved off the plane, shaking hands with the pilots while walking out the door and down the tunnel that connected to the airport. It was a nice feeling to be applauded, but it didn't take away the hurt of what they had to do.

"Will...Jay and Liz's families be at this gate too?" Theo inquired quietly.

"Harry didn't mention. They could be at this gate waiting for our escort down onto the runways, or they might be there already," Hunter replied. Getting to the end of the gate, an airport employee smiled at them and opened the door.

"Welcome home," the male said as Hunter nodded and walked through with his squad towards passenger pick up where they knew their families would be waiting for them. At passenger pick up, the families stood accordingly with welcome home signs and flags, all waiting with anticipation.

"This is quite a turn out for just Treyden and Hunter coming home," Heather mentioned. In the somewhat quietness, clapping could be heard as the Haddock's, and Hunter's friends quickly looked towards the escalator where soldiers began making their way down.

"I see Hunter!" Caitlyn cried out while covering her mouth to try and calm herself. Sure enough, Hunter came down with a backpack on his back and longer black bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Easy, Caitlyn. Remember what your Dad said, let him come to us," Renee stated. While walking by other civilians, the soldiers were offered handshakes and being told 'thank you for your service' and the group of ten would reply with 'thank you for your support' and keep walking to their families. Hunter reached his group as Caitlyn rushed ahead first to hug her older brother. Hunter closed his eyes and hugged her back tightly before placing a kiss on her forehead and continuing to walk towards his father. Caitlyn wiped her eyes and stepped back as Sal quickly hugged Hunter.

"I'm glad you're home safe," Salvatore whispered when Hunter hugged him back. After that was over, Hunter greeted everyone else. Much to his misfortune, Eddie and Drew were there, but shockingly they shook Hunter's hand and told him 'welcome home.' By the end of this, Hunter checked his watch to see that it was already 3:15 pm and time to carry out their duties. This became apparent when the rest of Striker One stood as a group near him and Treyden, their families behind them and confused as to why they couldn't bring home their sons and daughters right away.

At that moment, four more soldiers approached Hunter. "Sergeant Hunter Haddock?" asked one of them and Hunter faced them. "We were sent from Fort Draco to help with the transfer. The families will be here in two minutes. Orders, sir?"

Hunter took a deep breath. "Fury, you're with me. The rest, fall in!" he ordered. Without an argument, Treyden moved next to Hunter silently and the remaining twelve soldiers stood two lines. "As for all of you. I understand that you have not seen your sons, nephews, brothers, daughters, nieces, and sisters in ten months and would very much like to take them home now. However, we were sent back orders to fulfill before we begin our leave time." he added. "You are permitted to watch and expected to remain respectful and silent," after that, Hunter and Treyden moved in front of the twelve other soldiers. "Forward, march,"

"I don't understand what's going on," Audrey stated quietly while watching the soldiers march in sync, the fourteen soldiers began marching in the direction of the main level. Security guards were leading them past the outside doors and to the aircraft that Hunter and the other eleven had deboarded from.

"I do," Sal sighed heavily as they all looked at him. "It's a dignified transfer,"

"What's...that?" Eddie asked.

"It's when a soldier is given the mission of escorting another soldier home for the final time. This setup signifies that Hunter and Striker One were charged with escorting home to fallen soldiers. My guess is that in that cargo hold of the plane lies a casket containing the body of said soldier who has passed away. It's was Hunter's job to make sure that person comes home from war and delivered to their family," Salvatore explained, and then the security guards stopped them at a certain point.

"My apologies, you will have to continue watching from here," the officer said. From their spot, they could all see and hear pretty well. Hunter and Treyden led the twelve soldiers to the plane where there seemed to be a truck with an extended belt on it. After that while looking to their left, they could see the two families of the fallen soldiers. It was heart-wrenching to watch because all the families who just got to hug their children or siblings knew that as long as they were deployed, this was something that they might have to endure next.

First to happen was the soldiers breaking formation to drop their bags on the ground near their mode of next fifteen minutes were spent watching both caskets draped with the Archi Island flag be rolled out of the plane's cargo hold, and then the piece with the belt be lowered flat. Next, they watch Hunter and Treyden move to the families-mainly immediate ones such as mother, father, sister or brother and then led them to the respected casket where their child or sibling lay in eternal rest. Hunter and Treyden both stayed by the families as each member would touch the casket and lower their heads to cry and give a silent goodbye or cry. One mother broke down against Hunter and all he could do hold her while trying to keep a straight face.

Salvatore knew better, he knew this was hurting his son, but God bless him if he stuck to protocol. Finally, Hunter and Treyden pulled the grieving families back while he prepared the twelve soldiers to carry the caskets and then load them into the hearse's and shut the back doors. Hunter and Treyden took the families to the limousines after another hug was shared or handshake.

"Load up," Hunter commanded the group then moved to the families remaining. "We have to go with the families to the service. Two members of Striker One were killed in action. Major Andersen said that one of the families requested that Striker One be the soldiers to be the escorts and perform the transfer. I'll explain more later, for now, I have to go with them. You're...welcome to come, these families see all of Striker One and our families as their family, if that makes sense,"

"Of course, son. We'll be right behind when you round the airport building," Salvatore nodded softly. Hunter closed his eyes and walked to the vehicle, it appeared to be a Humvee with a small truck bed on the back. Then on the sides there were platforms to stand on while holding the available bars so one wouldn't fall off. Six were able to fit inside, then four in the back bed. The final four took a spot on the sides, Hunter being one of them.

(Memorial Service; 4:15 pm)

It was a late arrival but everyone reached the location, parked their vehicles, then found a seat inside after Striker One and the four extras brought the caskets in and set up the pictures, and battle crosses for both fallen members of their group. When everything was set up, it was 4:15 pm and the pastor began things by taking fifteen minutes each to talk about Jay and Liz. Of course, something Hunter hadn't expected was being asked by both distraught families to go up and talk about his friends. Hunter didn't want to but he was supposed to make this easier for the families so if that is what they wanted, then he couldn't say no.

"I've just been informed that one the members for Striker One, the team these two fallen heroes were a part of, will step forward to say a few words," the pastor informed as Hunter got to his feet and moved to stand while looking out to the families and his comrades.

"Hi. I'm Sergeant First Class Hunter Haddock, and I am the commanding officer for Striker One and Two squads. Jay and Elizabeth were on Striker One. In fact, these ten soldiers sitting in the third right row are all on Striker One. I've known these two heroes since the first day of Basic Training, and I can tell you first hand that there was never a dull moment for our platoon," Hunter started as a few from Striker One began to laugh a little.

"I remember just after we finished the first three weeks of training during personal time, Jay was lying on his bed, someone said something and he sat up so fast that he smacked his forehead on the underside of the top bunk. We asked if he was okay, then his battle buddy held up four fingers and wondered how many Jay was able to see, and Jay's reply was that we forgot how to count to five and flipped us off and laughed too," Hunter smiled a bit.

"And then we still had to take him to the infirmary because he got light-headed after telling us he was all right," Zander added in.

"Oh, gee! Sounds like someone else we know who says he's okay when he isn't or doesn't want to worry anyone, don't it, team?" Andrew laughed with Treyden and Theo.

"Zip it you three or it's fifty pushups and situps right now," Hunter glared as they were quiet and the others in the room laughed a little through the tears, well, those that were crying. "As for Liz, the girl was as crazy as they come. I don't think there was ever a time I didn't see a smile on her face or she was sketching. Whatever we did, whether it was training or out on a mission, guard, patrol-she made it fun while still doing our job. Odin knows that our squad will never be the same without them. The platoon won't even be the same, since the deployment we've all gotten closer and have come to understand the bonds that they taught us in Basic,"

"Everything we trained for was done as a team. We trained together, we ate together, we helped one another out if we had a problem, we had each other's backs. I think the only thing we didn't do was sleep or shower in the area. All that taught us how strong the bond of our friendships are and also how much it hurts to lose those friends. Most people think that soldiers are trained to always be serious, that we learn not to feel so it doesn't hurt. It's not true at all. You see my squad here, that they laugh rather than cry because it's how we remember them," Hunter continued.

"Each time we lose a friend, a brother or sister on the battlefield; we'll come together to honor their life by setting up this battle cross that you see before you. Not many understand the cross's purpose or argue that it doesn't look like a cross so I feel like I should explain why we place these four objects together as so when we lose someone. The first to be placed is the rifle with a bayonet; this shows the soldier was killed in the line of duty and went down fighting. The helmet signifies the soldier it once protected. The boots represent that the soldier marched their last battle and the dog tags are to identify the fallen soldier. These items comes together to give tribute to who has passed as us soldiers meet to honor that hero. However, in my platoon after we've lost someone; we stand in the hallway of our barrack in a circle with our arms over one another's shoulders and have a moment of silence to pray and remember," Hunter looked out to everyone who was watching him.

"I know in times like these, the grief of losing your son, daughter, niece, nephew, whoever they may be to those of you assembled here this afternoon is overwhelming. All the questions of why did it have to be them, the thoughts and anger of it being unfair. I understand with all those emotions; it can be hard to find a reason to smile. However, if I can for a moment; I'd like to share with you something that someone once told me to make the pain a little easier," Hunter said as he was motioned to continue, he smiled as his eyes met his father's. "How many of you have ever wondered why our flag moves when there is no wind?"

Most of the room raised their hands as Salvatore only smiled wide. "Our flag does fly because the wind blows it; our flag flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it. Perhaps you think that isn't a form of comfort until you realize that it means those who have passed away in battle defending our home are always around keeping our flag flying proudly to show that we will never give up the fight for peace and freedom," Hunter informed. "Just because they have passed on doesn't mean they are gone. For us soldiers who will return to Iraq; they will be our strength in battle when we can't find ours, they will be our miracle when hope seems lost, they will be our courage when we're afraid. Jay and Elizabeth's bodies have perished, but not their spirits. These two soldiers like many before them will never truly die, they continue to live on in our memories and our hearts,"

Treyden began clapping and after him was the rest of Striker One, then Salvatore, Audrey, and soon everyone was clapping and Hunter oddly enough could see smiles. There were still tears in eyes, but smiles on their faces. Hunter made his way down and moved along the front row on the left and right side where the immediate families of Jay and Liz sat, they all hugged and thanked him for his kind, comforting words. After Hunter returned to his seat, the pastor concluded the ceremony and people began to file outside. Hunter got the information about the funerals and promised that he and Striker One would be there. The four extra soldiers took the humvee-truck back to Fort Draco while others from Striker One were saying goodbye and preparing to leave with their familes.

Hunter finally reached his family with Treyden beside him, and Salvatore hugged Hunter tightly, "I am very proud of you, Hunter. You going up there and for what you said to those families,"

"Well, I learned from the best," Hunter replied to his Dad. "Now if it's not too much trouble, as thrilled as I am to see everyone, I've been up since 5:30 this morning, and I could really use dinner, a shower, and some sleep," he added tiredly.

"I will second that, my friend," Treyden patted Hunter's back.

"I take it Treyden will be staying with us a bit longer?" Sal asked, and Hunter nodded. "That is fine with me. Let's get back home, we'll grab dinner on the way and then you two boys can shower and catch an early night's rest,"

"Will we all get to see you soon babe?" Audrey questioned.

"Absolutely. You can all come over after school tomorrow and hang out," Hunter smiled softly as he hugged Audrey and gave her a small kiss.

"We're off from school this week because there was a gas leak in the kitchen and small explosion. No one got hurt, but they need time to make sure it's safe and make some repairs. We go back next Monday," Fisher informed.

"Even better then. I do have Jay's funeral on Tuesday to attend in Visiham, and then Liz's on Friday in Bersdale, but anything after that I'm free," Hunter stated.

"Let us know when you're up, and we'll come over when it's okay to do so. We're glad you're home, Hunter, we've missed you," Heather smiled.

"I've missed you too," Hunter replied. Without anything more said, everyone, loaded into their vehicles and left the funeral home.

(Berkton)

By 5:30 pm, the Haddocks and Treyden were back at the Haddock household. It was only so late because they stopped to get a quick dinner on the ride home. At this point, Hunter had been up for thirteen hours and was beat tired. After a twenty-minute shower, Hunter was in a pair of sweatpants, socks, and t-shirt relaxing on the couch and waiting for Treyden who took a fifteen minute shower then came out wearing sweats and a tank top. Hunter and Trey bid everyone a goodnight and then they got to Hunter's room, made themselves comfortable. Hunter was on his bed and Treyden sleeping on the futon, the two of them knocked out not more than ten minutes later around 6:30 pm. So ended a very long day.


	18. Glad To Be Home

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Glad To Be Home

Hunter and Treyden were beyond happy to be able to get some sleep after such a long day. Flying a total of six hours with a layover for two, then the dignified transfer, and ending the day with a memorial service that Hunter ended up speaking at and giving everyone a reason to smile and rest assured that things would be okay. The highlight of Hunter's day was getting to eat and sleep. Now it was Monday morning, at the time 10 am, Hunter and Treyden finally woke up. The two got dressed in their civilian clothes; a t-shirt, jeans, and socks. There was no need for shoes right now since they didn't plan on going anywhere today. Perhaps tomorrow after the funeral they would stop by Trey's place so he could grab more clothes, but today they were staying right at the Haddock household.

"Man, I almost forgot what it was like to sleep in," Treyden remarked.

"Seriously. Don't get too used to it, after the leave is over we go right back to waking up at any hour of the night," Hunter chuckled a bit and then sighed while sitting on the edge of his bed.

"You all right?" Treyden asked calmly.

"Yeah, just...trying to settle with everything," Hunter replied.

"With being out of a war zone for the next three weeks, understanding that Jay and Liz are gone because it feels real after the service?" Treyden questioned as Hunter nodded to him. "I know, it's a lot to take in and adjust. But hey, we're home now so let's enjoy it while we got it. You know there won't be another leave, and there is still eight months to go,"

"True that. I suppose we should get upstairs and start the day, I could do with some breakfast and coffee," Hunter said with a small smile. In agreement, Treyden and Hunter made their way out of Hunter's room and down the hall to find Sal, Viola, and Caitlyn sitting in the living room.

"I thought you two were going to sleep the rest of the day," Caitlyn giggled a little.

"It feels like we could, but then we won't sleep tonight so better to tough out the day being a little tired," Hunter informed as he hugged Caitlyn and kissed her forehead, then hugged his father. After that, Hunter was faced with the decision to hug his mother or not. At the end of a brief hesitation, Hunter gave her a quick one and backed up. Of course, he was still upset with her, she told him she didn't support him anymore and that had hurt more than being shot did. However, despite the tension between them, Viola was his mother, and he could never hate her.

"There's some leftover breakfast in the kitchen for you two. Eggs, bacon, sausage, two or three hashbrowns, toast, and coffee," Sal told them.

"Great because I'm starving," Hunter replied as he led Treyden into the kitchen and the two fixed themselves up a plate of food each, warmed it in the microwave then sat down at the table to eat. Hunter had texted Audrey a good morning and that he just woke up then put his phone down and enjoyed the food.

"Wow, you're Dad is a fantastic cook," Treyden beamed after taking a few bites.

"Thanks. I know, I love it," Hunter responded. The two finished within fifteen minutes then cleaned up a bit. Returning to the living room, they took a seat to just talk a little with Hunter's Mom, Dad, and little sister; it was decided that the friends and Audrey could come over around 11 am since they were all waiting with anticipation to see Hunter again. As 11 am drew nearer, Hunter learned that his mother only had until Wednesday off and then she had to get back to work. Hunter had known at some point or another before he went back to Iraq, that the two of them would need to talk. No matter his mother's refusal to support him, Hunter wasn't going to deal with calling home when he got the chances too, and it only becomes an argument, so he was going to put his foot down on the situation and then play it as necessary based on his mother's choices.

(11 am)

Shane, Audrey, Renee, and Travis came together in Shane's car then Heather, Fisher, Eddie, and Drew showed up in Eddie's car since apparently Drew's was in the shop for repairs or inspection, Hunter forgot which when Heather texted him to say her brother and Eddie were coming too. Hunter didn't mind, it seemed like with him in the army now, Eddie and Drew were less inclined to give him a hard time, but Hunter still didn't like them. When Hunter saw both cars pull up, he was first to get the living room door, and Audrey practically tackled him down in an embrace. Hunter laughed a little and hugged her back, Gods, he'd missed her a lot. Especially the hugs and kisses, they always made his day.

"I swear you better not let go the rest of the day," Audrey warned.

"I had no intentions of doing so, Milady," Hunter replied softly before they shared a small but extended kiss together. After that, Hunter kept Audrey on his left side with an arm around her waist and greeted Shane with a hug and the girls. Travis, Eddie, Drew, and Fisher got handshakes then soon everyone was sitting down around the living room relaxing with Audrey sitting on Hunter's lap with his arms locked around her waist, refusing to let go as Audrey had demanded that he didn't and Hunter wouldn't anyway.

"So, if no one else is going to ask, I will. How long are you home for, cuz?" Shane stated first since nobody else had asked the question that everyone wanted to know.

"Until October 6th. We fly back on the 7th at 4 am," Hunter answered contently.

"Wow, that's like three weeks. Daddy, didn't you say most leave times are only a week or two?" Caitlyn inquired looking to her father.

"In most cases, yes so I guess I'm curious as to why you and the others all got three weeks, son?" Salvatore questioned next.

"Our situation was different," Treyden chimed in now. "Originally, none of us were set to take leave yet. Well, Hunter and I had tried to go in July. He wanted to see everyone before you all went back to school, and my Dad happened to be home on leave too but things were rather heavy with the fighting, and it wasn't granted,"

"When Jay and Liz passed away, Jay's family asked if Striker One would be his escorts home and do what we could for the family. It just happened to work out that Liz was shipped back the same day, so Harry asked if we do the transfer for both then take Monday through Friday as mourning period, anything after that would be our leave time until the 6th," Hunter explained.

"Mourning period?" Drew arched a brow.

"It's rather self-explanatory, Drew. What do most people do when they lose a loved one or friend? They mourn them," Hunter stated.

"Harry just felt that those of us on Striker One would like a little extra time to get ourselves together before engaging in family activities. You know? We've got one funeral on Tuesday at 10 am, then another one on Friday at 9:30 am, both with an after party to follow. The mourning period is for the sake that funerals are notoriously worse than memorial services and Major Andersen figured some of us would want to be alone after those two events took place this week," Treyden added into the conversation.

"I guess we won't see you two on those days?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Well, you'll see us in the morning and when the parties end," Hunter nodded.

"I meant with the mourning thing," Caitlyn rephased.

"We'll be okay. Just like I said yesterday, might not see them anymore but they're always around," Hunter smiled at her.

"So why don't you tell us how the last ten months have been over there? What's it like?" Renee asked curiously.

"It's hot as hell," Treyden chuckled.

"How hot, like 90?" Travis inquired.

"Pfft, that would be a godsend. No, it gets as hot as one hundred and twenty degrees June through August. Then as cold as the forties in January. You try dealing with that heat wearing a full ACU and battle gear the weighs about sixty to eighty pounds," Hunter informed.

"I'm good. How do you all handle it?" Fisher asked, rather astounded by the information.

"Water becomes your new best friend. It's all we drink unless someone in the barrack gets a care package with soda or juice," Treyden interjected.

"How do you keep things cold?" Eddie asked.

"Well, each room in the barrack has a mini fridge, so we keep about eight cold and store the rest away until it's time to restock," Treyden replied.

"Room in the barrack? Aren't they set up like the ones at Draco?" Salvatore blinked a few times. Hunter shook his head as he went and grabbed his laptop along with an HDMI cord from his gaming console, then he hooked it up to the big flat screen before powering the computer on and giving it a few minutes to start up. After that, Hunter typed in his password, and the desktop could be seen with a picture of the platoon-one with everyone there before the deaths starting occurring. "What picture is that?"

"I think that was the next morning after we arrived on the 25th, well, it would technically have been the 26th of November 2016 since we get there around midnight and crashed sometime after 1 am. Morning came, and we decided to get a picture in front of our barrack to commemorate being together for the first tour. I think I made this my background after RJ died, way to see everyone together again," Hunter smiled.

"Have you taken a lot of pictures?" Viola tried nervously. Hunter almost didn't answer her but decided not to be an ass instead. Hunter pulled up the folder marked; **Camp Draconia-Plasma Fire Company-Baghdad, Iraq**. Within that folder held pictures and videos, all from the last ten months the group assumed. "Wow," Viola said in surprise.

Hunter showed his friends and family some of the pictures and videos that he had, not all of them because it would take hours to cycle through. Hunter showed the shots from the barrack, explaining that it was four to a room and that the girls stayed on the opposite side of the hallway, also about the shower and bathroom arrangements. Salvatore was intrigued by it all; the others might have felt the same. The videos contained things from their times in the entertainment hall or during dinner. There wasn't much for in the barrack since it was a very small area.

Hunter got to the picture from some of their patrols in the different towns and districts, showing the soldiers in their almost full gear with helmets, guns, gloves, vests, sunglasses, etc. While Hunter was going through pictures, Audrey stopped him on one where Hunter was kneeling next to a three-year-old girl.

"Who is that babe?" Audrey asked quickly.

"Hm? Oh, that's the little girl I saved on the mission where I got shot in the side and cracked a rib. I went to see how she was doing a few weeks after the incident and Theo took a picture of us," Hunter smiled gently and continued flipping through photos.

"What's that video?" Drew asked when Hunter had gone by a video where there were soldiers with their guns at the ready to fire.

"I believe that was one of the times they checked up to make sure we could still shoot at the level we made during Basic," Treyden stated. "It's the firefight training with paintball guns. Put it on, Hunter. That was so much fun even though you kicked our asses,"

"So I'm quick on my gun, what do you want from me?" Hunter shrugged.

"Not the speed, man. Your accuracy is god damn incredible," Treyden chuckled.

"Good eyes," Hunter stated as he pressed play and moved back a little while the video started.

" _All right, Hooligan platoon. It's gotta be done; the base leaders want to make sure you can still shoot as good as you did in Basic before you're cleared to go on recon, ambush, or contact missions. So, we're gonna give you a gun, and you're gonna take one another on," Harry informed._

" _These are airsoft guns, right?" asked Danielle._

" _We thought it would be a little more interesting to use paintball guns. Every soldier for themselves, to create the scenario that you're alone in enemy territory. Can you use your shooter and stealth skills to reach your extraction point without getting killed," Harry stated. "If you get shot in the head, neck, or heart, you're considered dead. You're objective is to reach this spot and ring the bell. Those who end up 'dying' will radio in. It ends when everyone has checked in whether be by radioed death or reaching the extraction,"_

" _Got it. I assume this is red, washable paint?" Andrew inquired._

" _Correct. So, come get your guns, and one reload, you'll get ten minutes to spread out and find a spot to hide. When you hear the snap gun, you can start," Harry chuckled. For fifteen minutes, it was the soldiers grabbing their weapons and taking off to hide behind the tents, boards, fake trees, and bushes. The snap gun was heard, and it began right away. By the ten minute mark, Hunter had taken out four members of his platoon with head or heart shots._

While everyone watched, it was apparent that Hunter was superb at a silent kill from behind. "How long did you survive, Treyden?" Heather asked.

"Theo, Andrew, and I lasted until the end but Hunter still got us, but not with a shot to that would consider us dead. Only five us reached the bell," Treyden stated. Continuing to watch, the group watched as another fifteen minutes passed with Hunter taking out eight more. The last person he encountered tried to sneak up on him but Hunter crouched low, swept the guy onto his back then jumped back as the male sat up, that's when Hunter shot him in the head. Hunter was seen getting Theo in the shoulder, Andrew in the leg, and finally, Trey got it on the right side of the leg, but Hunter was first to reach the bell and ring it. After him it was Jay, then Trey, Nikolas, Theo, and Andrew.

The rest of the platoon came out mumbling about most of them being taken out by Hunter who was casually leaning against a wall with his eyes closed and the only one not covered in red paint.

" _Well done, Sergeant Haddock!" Harry patted his back. "You've certainly proved you can handle yourself out there and showed you still got your Expert shooter lever,"_

After that, the video ended. "That's my boy," Salvatore chuckled.

"I did learn how to shoot from you, Dad," Hunter reminded. Viola instantly looked at her husband as he tensed up and Hunter noticed. "You never told her that you taught me how to shoot a gun in the backyard, did you?"

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Viola screeched quickly. "How long ago was this?!"

"U-Um, he was...thirteen," Sal mentioned. "Oh, come on. Hunter did great! Only took him two tries to hit the target and after that, he never missed again. I'm proud to say my thirteen-year-old son mastered a handgun and rifle at that age!"

"What if he had gotten hurt?!" Viola countered.

"Why are you worried about a what if four years later? Seriously, Mom. I'm seventeen now; I was thirteen then. Nothing happened to me, so what does it matter now?" Hunter asked with a bored look in his eyes.

"Because it's one more thing your father didn't tell me. How many other things have been done behind my back, Salvatore Haddock?" Viola crossed her arms over her chest angrily.

"Will ya leave it alone, Ma? Geeze," Hunter sighed. "A lot of things have been done behind your back because you get like this. Unfortunately, you're going to have to accept that Dad and I have a stronger relationship than you and I do," Viola was going to remark, but at that moment she felt everyone staring at her as if to say; don't tick him off again. Viola stayed quiet this time and sighed looking away. Before another word could be said, Hunter's cell phone beeped on the table as he reached for it and held the button on the side for three seconds before it beeped again.

 _ **=Andersen to Haddock, am I coming through all right?=**_

=Loud and clear, Major Andersen. Good morning to you, sir.= Hunter replied after holding down the button and talking into the microphone.

 _ **=Aye, good morning to you as well lad. Have I caught you at a bad time?=**_

=Not at all, Major. Finally figured out the walkie-talkie feature on your phone, did you?= Hunter chuckled a bit.

 **=Yes, very effective method indeed and it doesn't seem to be affected by our distance. I thank you for informing me of it. Anyway, wanted to check in and make sure Striker One returned to Archi safely and that there were no problems with the transfers of Privates Michaels and Campbell?=**

=You're welcome, sir. All of Striker One arrived safely to Archi Island Airport around 1500 hours. The transfers went smoothly. Both of the fallen were placed on the belt, Corporal Fury and I gave the families a few minutes with the caskets, and then we moved to the funeral home for the joint service. From what I understand, the burial for Michaels will be on Tuesday at 1000 hours, and Campbells will be Friday at 0930 hours," Hunter explained briefly.

 _ **=An excellent job as always, Sergeant. Have the families asked you or Striker One to do anything else?=**_

=Yes. We were asked to perform the flag folding and three-gun volley ceremony for both fallen soldiers. Not to worry, the team and I accepted the job so Tuesday and Friday, we will be in our formals and seeing that request through, sir.= Hunter informed.

 _ **=I'm pleased to hear that. Well, I won't take up much of your time then. I just wanted to make sure everything went all right. Enjoy your leave, Sergeant, and we'll see you and Striker One back on the base October 7th.=**_

=Yes you will, Major. Have a good day.= Hunter said before holding the button on the side for three seconds, and it beeped twice, and then he noticed his family and friends arching a brow at him. "It's a feature to most of Hooligan platoon's mobile phones. A walkie-talkie that can communicate with one other person or we can preset contacts in a group and talk to all of them at once. It was an upgrade we made before deploying since we're not supposed to use the primary radio unless we're on missions, guards, and patrols. For some reason, the walkie-talkie feature isn't affected by the signal, so I'm assuming as long as there is at least one bar of service, we're able to contact one another between long distances," he enlightened.

"That's kind of cool. Can all phones do it?" Audrey asked.

"Most of the newer models can. The two-way starts with a person on one end holding the button to contact another after selecting the person they're communicating with. A signal gets sent to the other person, which was the beep you heard on mine. Then I return the signal to connect the two phones for talking. Or as I said, I can contact everyone who uses this feature in the platoon by selecting the group labeled; Alpha Hooligan," Hunter shrugged.

"But I meant like if we upgraded our phones to use the feature, would it be easier to talk to you?" Audrey questioned with a hopeful look in her blue eyes.

"I suppose it would, but you know once I get back to Iraq, I'm going to be busy again. I won't always be able to answer just like before," Hunter replied gently.

"If you were to send the signal to his phone and he doesn't respond to it within two minutes, then it will give you a message saying user unavailable. But he'll also get a message informing him that someone tried to contact him via walkie-talkie. Much like when you get a notification about missed calls and text messages," Treyden added in.

"We know, but we thought maybe it might be better than hoping Hunter gets a good enough signal to call with," Caitlyn mentioned.

"You're welcome to make the upgrade if you like," Hunter smiled, "Do it before I go back, and I'll set things up, so you don't have to struggle with it as poor Andersen did," he chuckled a little.

"Does it cost any extra to upgrade?" Salvatore asked.

"$10 a month," Treyden answered. "It's already a feature on most phones that were released in the last four years, but it's not active unless you pay for it. We only learned about it from some of the people we worked with at the Berkton base while preparing for deployment and decided to go for it. Hasn't let us down since,"

"I'm down to add it," Travis stated. Renee nodding in agreement.

"I'm on my parent's plan, so I have to ask them first," Heather said.

"Same here," Fisher put a hand up.

"My parents won't care," Audrey giggled after kissing Hunter's cheek, and he held her close against him, and she blushed but snuggled into the embrace. "You owe me a date, remember? You promised when you came home for leave,"

"So I did. Well, I never go back on my word," Hunter smiled as he held her hand seeing the promise ring still in place then he brought her hand up and kissed where the ring was. "How does Saturday? We can do whatever you want,"

"Saturday sounds okay but are you sure you're going to be up for it after having one of those funerals on Friday?" Audrey looked back at him gently.

"I'll be all right," Hunter replied, "Saturday it is then. You think about what you want to do; movie, dinner...I think fall fest is this weekend too," he told her and Audrey nodded. Of course, in their silence with them staring into each other's eyes, they knew what else they would likely end up doing as it had been a very long ten months without one another.

"I'm glad you're home for a few weeks, Hunter. I've missed you like crazy," Audrey sighed out contently while closing her eyes and relaxing into his arms.

"I've missed you too, Milady. Just think, only eight more months and the tour will end," Hunter reminded.

"I can't wait," Audrey responded. Despite the fact this leave was granted because of losing Jay and Liz, Hunter was glad to have it. After all the deaths that took place in ten months leaving Plasma Fire with eighty-five soldiers now, Hunter needed the break. Tuesday and Friday would be a little hard but he would have Striker One standing with him, and they'd lean on each other for support while saying goodbye to their friends. Hunter was home for about three weeks, and he was going to use the time to the fullest since he wouldn't be home again until May 2018 when his deployment was over. All there was left to do from this moment was enjoy the time he had to the best he could.


	19. Emotional Week

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Emotional Week

~Hunter's POV~

I would admit that Sunday was a bad day. Doing all that flying, plus the ceremony for Jay and Liz. Treyden and I were glad to be able to lay down and sleep that night. Monday wasn't horrible as I got to see everyone after a good night's sleep; spent most of the day showing my family and friends photos and videos from the last ten months in Iraq, then Treyden and I gave a few stories of the busy and slow days. No, Monday was all right, and I loved being able to hold Audrey all day except for when we separated for bathroom breaks or eating lunch. Tuesday was Jay's funeral, and that was harder than I anticipated. Treyden and I arrived in our formals, Striker One did too. We sat through the readings about Jay's life and then Treyden, Theo, Andrew, and I ended up folding the flag and giving it to Jay's mother.

Following the flag folding was Conner, Nikolas, Amanda, Danielle, and Amber doing the three-gun volley in Jay's memory. When the ceremony was over, we went to the after party for an hour or so then Treyden, and I returned to my house where we shared some time consoling one another over the loss. It was understandable now why Harry wanted to give us the mourning period because having to attend the funerals of your fallen friends was harder than just knowing they died and were getting sent home to be buried. Watching the burial made things a considerably harder to cope, more so because we didn't have the war to distract us.

After losing a friend in battle, the company would come together to pay tribute then give us the night to get our heads in order. Following the next day would be back to work, and that kept us from thinking about how hard the family was taking things, or that we didn't have to attend the services and funerals. With Jay and Liz, we didn't have that distraction because we came home from Jay's and sat in silence a few minutes until we couldn't fight back how much it hurt to say goodbye. Wednesday and Thursday were spent trying to prepare for Liz's funeral on Friday. On Thursday, Treyden decided to stay with Theo and Andrew for a few days so I wouldn't have to put him up the entire time we were on leave. I didn't mind honestly, Treyden was my best friend, and he always had a place with me.

The funeral was at 9:30 am, lasted a good thirty minutes to say some words then go through the motions of folding the flag and doing the gun salute in Elizabeth's memory. By 10 am, we were at the after party, but I only stayed until 10:45 before decided to go home. Arriving at home, I noticed the house was empty. Mom was working; Dad had taken the recently made shopping list, so I assume he was out doing that. I knew Caitlyn was with Audrey and the rest of my friends for a few hours. I guess that means I'm home alone for a bit. I sat quietly in my room for ten minutes before grabbing my laptop and hooking up to the big screen.

I started going through photos and videos of the last ten months in Iraq. In two more weeks, I would be going back for another eight months of the same. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just browsing and enjoying the memories with friends. I even found some stuff from Basic and AIT mixed in the folder. I hadn't been watching the time while I just started putting on videos, sitting back to relax. I saw things of the platoon in the entertainment hall having a good time with playing music and doing karaoke. I watched my surprise birthday party all over again and got to see the times we were relaxing in the mess hall after an extended mission.

There were so many memories right in front of me of the last ten months, and it hurt to accept now that four of those people, my friends, had passed away and our little Hooligan family was smaller. Gods, I missed them. Video after video, I just watched while the time ticked away.

~Regular POV~

Hunter got found by Salvatore, Caitlyn, Audrey, and his friends when they came to the house after Sal came home from shopping. The time was 12:45 pm, the others had come over wondering if Hunter was there and sure enough, he was. However, they didn't expect for him not even to acknowledge when they had entered the room.

"Hunter?" Audrey tried but still no response, they trailed his line of sight to the TV and discovered that Hunter was watching videos of the Hooligan platoon together. The one he was looking at now was a night in the entertainment hall. All of them with a can of soda in hand, some food set out on a table off to the side and the soldiers were laughing, smiling, dancing and having fun then it showed them relaxing and everyone trying to get Hunter to agree to sing or so it appeared that way.

" _ **Hey, hey! Easy man," Treyden put a hand on his shoulder. "We're all on the same side here. It was just a compliment. You do sing good, and if it weren't for you, then we never would have been able to do that dinner show. We got that mission at 2200; you're exceptional at riling everyone up,"**_

" _ **And my singing is going to get everyone pumped up for an incredibly dangerous mission into enemy territory?" Hunter arched an unamused brow. The platoon nodded to him, even Trey, Theo, and Andrew. "Fine. You get one," he sighed heavily in defeat. The group cheered happily. "Are you picking something or should I just go with my stylings?"**_

" _ **You write songs?" Elizabeth blinked in surprise.**_

" _ **On occasion, yes," Hunter shrugged.**_

" _ **We wanna hear one of yours!" the soldiers said in agreement.**_

" _ **Of course you do," Hunter sighed as he got up and moved to the stage and hooked up his phone and started scrolling through his instrumentals. "This is one I made right after RJ passed away," the room fell quieter now, everyone remembered how much that death bothered Hunter. It would be interesting to hear the song Hunter made after that unfortunate event.**_

The others stayed quiet, curious themselves as well. The music on the video began, but Sal happened to notice that Hunter closed his eyes while sitting on the couch and moved closer so he could get a better look at his son's face and was a little surprised to see tear stains on his cheeks. Hunter took a small breath in and lowered his head a bit.

" _Eighty-nine cents in the ashtray, half filled bottle of Gatorade rolling in the floorboard. That dirty Vikings hat on the dash, dog tags hanging from the rearview. Old Skoal can, and cowboy boots, and a go Army shirt folded in the back. This thing burns gas like crazy, but that's all right. People got their ways of coping, oh, and I got mine..."_ Hunter opened his eyes looking at the screen but never noticing them.

" _I drive your truck! I roll every window down, and I burn up, every back road in this town. I find a field; I tear it up 'til all the pain's a cloud of dust. Yeah, sometimes I drive your truck,"_ The others could see it being performed on the video but it didn't compare to Hunter singing it live.

" _I leave that radio playing, the same old country station where ya left it. Yeah, man I crank it up. And you'd probably punch my arm right now, if you saw this tear rolling down my face,"_ It was that moment that Salvatore watched a few more tears fall from Hunter's eyes. _"Hey, man I'm trying to be tough. And Momma asked me this morning if I'd been by your grave, but that flag and stone ain't where I feel you anyway!"_

One the video they noticed that Harry and a pretty large group was entering.

" _ **What's going on?" Harry inquired.**_

" _ **Ssh. Hunter is singing a song he wrote after RJ was KIA," Jay mentioned as the others found a spot quietly and watched.**_

Even in the video, Hunter kept his eyes closed the entire time.

" _I drive your truck! I roll every window down, and I burn up, every back road in this town. I find a field; I tear it up 'til all the pain's a cloud of dust. Yeah, sometimes I drive your truck,"_ There was a slight pause as Hunter took a deep breath. _"I've cussed, I've prayed, I've said goodbye. Shook my fists and asked God why, these days when I'm missing you this much..."_ it trailed off slower as Hunter closed his eyes tightly and made a fist with his hand until it cracked, but his head remained lowered. Sal was able to see that Hunter was trying to keep it together.

" _I drive your truck. I roll every window down, and I burn up," the music picked up, "every back road in this town! I find a field, I tear it up, 'till all the pain's a cloud of dust! Yeah, sometimes..."_ another short pause. _"Brother sometimes, I drive your truck. Mmhm, I drive your truck. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, I drive your truck,"_ The video seemed to stop after everyone started clapping and cheering for him. In the video, Hunter ended up smiling with a nod to them. However, with Hunter on the couch, that didn't happen.

Sal moved in front of Hunter and knelt down, then put a hand on his shoulder as Hunter's head snapped up to see his father looking at him sympathetically. Sal didn't need to ask what was wrong; he didn't even have to ask if Hunter was all right because he knew better. Hunter had to go to two funerals this week and trying to be strong, but pain like that wasn't something that could be held in. Hunter hadn't realized he was crying until he felt the tears still falling down his face. Sal seemed to give Hunter a reassuring look, one that told him; it's okay.

After that, Hunter let go what he'd been trying to hold in since Sunday. Salvatore saw Hunter's bottom lip start to quiver and then just pull Hunter into a tight, comforting hug. It was all Sal could think to do, just hold his son and let him cry. Hunter's crying was silent, but it could be seen in the slight shaking, the rest of them stayed quiet until the door opened and Caitlyn went to see who it was. It ended up being Treyden, Theo, and Andrew.

"Where's Hunt and why is it so quiet in here?" Theo asked. Caitlyn put a finger to her lips.

"Hunter's not handling the pain of losing friends well," Caitlyn whispered and had them follow her into the living room from the kitchen. Caitlyn pointed to Hunter on the couch; he had his face buried in his hands and Salvatore holding him. Treyden glanced at the TV and saw what Hunter had been watching then he elbowed Theo and Andrew to see the same thing.

"I told you he wasn't okay," Treyden muttered. "Hunter is my best friend, and I know when he isn't fine or trying to hide something,"

"You knew he was having trouble coping?" Audrey asked.

"We just noticed he wasn't at the party anymore. It ended about fifteen minutes ago, Striker One was saying goodbye to one another, and someone mentioned Hunter's truck was gone then someone else said that Hunter left at 10:45 am. Which was odd because the four of us were gonna go grab lunch," Andrew sighed. "It was Treyden's idea to come here and look for him,"

"And I was right to assume what I did," Treyden rolled his eyes as he moved to the couch and sat next to Hunter and put a hand on his back.

"We just got here about ten minutes ago ourselves. That means Hunter has been here by himself for almost two hours watching these videos," Caitlyn sighed sadly.

Treyden turned his attention to Hunter and started rubbing his back to try and calm him down. "It's okay, Hunt. No one expects you not to be upset," Treyden attempted.

"I-I should...have...che-checked to make sure everyone got out..." Hunter replied in a trembling voice. Nope, Treyden wasn't going to let Hunter do that to himself. Treyden lifted his hand and smacked Hunter right upside the back of his head which forced Hunter to pull away from his father and look at Treyden quickly. "Ow! What the hell, Trey,"

"I'm not going to let you sit here and blame yourself for what happened to Mason, RJ, Jay, or Liz. It's not your fault, Hunter," Treyden said sternly.

"I'm the platoon leader, it's my job to make sure my team stays together, and everyone gets out. It's...my job to keep everyone safe. I-I should have stayed...back and made sure everyone got through the smo-" Hunter was cut off by Treyden glaring at him.

"For the love of Thor, Hunter, shut up! Alright?! Yes, you're the platoon leader, but you know what else you are? Fucking human. You cannot have eyes on every single one of us, okay? One person cannot watch that many people at one time when things were that hectic. Understand me? That mission was hell. We got ambushed, we got pinned down being shot at from both above and ground level. IT. IS. NOT. YOUR. FAULT!" Treyden yelled at him.

"We all miss the people we've lost, we all feel that pain together. You're beating yourself up over something you couldn't control..." Theo offered.

"Mason and the guy he was fighting ended up outside area where we swept for bombs, he stepped on an IED and you know we couldn't have saved him. I'm sorry we couldn't get his body to bring home, it wasn't safe for us to go over there until we marked where bombs were to avoid them and even after we did that, there was no body to bring back. For RJ, again, you could only do so much, Hunter. You helped four others escape being killed by enemies; there just wasn't enough time to get to RJ before that guy shot him and had you been too close, you could have been shot too. Take some comfort in knowing that you killed that soldier and brought RJ home," Treyden reminded.

"With Liz, Hunter, it was an ambush. We all got taken by surprise and Liz was the first one to get killed when that happened, I know how hard it was to watch what happened, and there was nothing we could do to save her. Liz was dead within thirty seconds of being attacked, but at least we managed to bring her home too. And for Jay's death, you couldn't have known that he fell behind after we used smoke cover to get away. You heard the autopsy report, he sprained his ankle and couldn't run, so he tried to hide, defend himself even, but he still got killed," Treyden continued.

"Exactly, Hunter. You couldn't have known anyone was missing until you did a roll call on the chopper. As soon as you realized he was missing, you went after him. Don't you remember what you said to Trey when he tried to stop you by saying; _the last time you entered a fight we escaped from you nearly got killed_. You told Trey; We don't abandon our friends, and no one gets left behind. Now I'm the leader of this platoon, and whether Jay is alive or dead, I'm bringing him back with us," Andrew reminded.

"You did your job, Hunter. Maybe not everyone made it out alive, but you did your job by getting everyone you could to safety than going back out to get those who passed away or look for who fell behind. Nobody blames you for the losses we've dealt with, and if Andersen thought you were failing at your job, then he wouldn't let you stay platoon leader. Come on man; you got yourself shot in the side with a cracked rib and nearly buried alive just to save a little girl. You're an amazing friend and leader to all of us, Hunter and we're all proud to serve under your command and fight beside you. Now you knock off this blaming yourself shit, get your shoes on, grab your phone and wallet and come out to lunch with us," Treyden told him firmly.

"Save all that emotion for the enemies when we get back in two weeks because we're gonna light 'em up with everything we got," Andrew said putting his hand out.

"We'll show these bastards a thing or two together," Theo stated as he put his hand on Andrew's.

"That's right," Treyden grinned putting his hand out. "Remember who we are and let everyone know it. Come on, boss! Who the hell are we?..."

Hunter found himself smiling as he put in with the others. "We're the Archian soldiers, and if you fuck with one of us, then you deal with all of us. On three boys!"

"One. Two. Three. ALPHA DRAGONS!" the four soldiers yelled out throwing their hand in the air then laughing. Sal could only smile seeing Hunter look happy again. The small group of them connected hands and hugged, Hunter, thanking each of them for coming to make sure he was okay and snapping him out of his self-doubt and what not.

"Alright you four, go on and get out of here for lunch," Salvatore informed them. Theo, Andrew, Treyden, and Hunter grabbed their things and headed out.

"So, he was blaming himself, and that's why he was upset?" Renee asked after a few minutes.

"It's the unfortunate burden that a leader carries with them. Hunter is in charge of the soldiers for Alpha Hooligan platoon, and as such, he feels that if anyone gets hurt or dies, then it's his fault because it's his job to keep them safe. However, the lesson that he just learned is that even as a leader, you don't control everything that happens. War is a dangerous place, and anything can happen at a moment's notice. Hunter is upset that four of his friends died under his command and he feels like he let them down," Sal informed.

"How did Treyden know he was blaming himself?" Fisher inquired.

"Because Hunter started talking about the what if's, the should of, would of, could of and those are keywords that point to someone feeling like it might have turned out different if they did something differently. Treyden made Hunter realize that things happened the way they did and nothing would change it. Hunter knew deep down that it wasn't his fault but when you're trapped in grief and have so much time to yourself, you view things differently. That's why it's never good to be alone right away when these things happen. You saw how fast Treyden, Theo, and Andrew came here when they realized Hunter left the party early when they were supposed to go to lunch. Treyden knows that Hunter will say he's okay when he's not in certain situations," Sal explained.

"To put it simply then. Hunter's army friends know it's been an emotional week for Hunter, that he tried to be strong and say he was okay when the pain of losing his friends was consuming him. Also, that reality set in during the funerals, plus the time alone made Hunter doubt himself and feel it was his fault?" Audrey questioned.

"Correct," Sal nodded. It was the truth, Theo, Andrew, and Treyden knew Hunter wasn't okay so like good friends, they came to cheer him up and make him feel better. It sucked to a degree though, Hunter seemed more inclined to let his army friends in instead of them, but it was understandable. Trey, Theo, and Andrew were with Hunter when these deaths happened, they all saw the same thing and understood the pain. For now, it was probably best to let Hunter hang out with the people who were mourning the same as him. Hunter had a very emotional week, but it was apparent that his friends had Hunter's back and proved it without a doubt after today.


	20. Worth The Wait

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Worth The Wait

{Hunter's POV}

I could admit that without Treyden saying what he did on Friday, I would probably still be beating myself up about losing the friends that I have from the Alpha Hooligan group. Thus far, two each have been lost from the Striker squadrons that make up Hooligan. This wasn't to say that my Dad hadn't done anything to help either, he was the one to understand how much it was hurting me to have done the dignified transfer, plus the memorial service and then to wrap up the rest of that horrible week, attended both funerals for Jay and Elizabeth. When Jay's was over, I just talked with Treyden about some of the good times. After Elizabeth's, I didn't know what brought it on but I just didn't want to be around anyone during that party and had been grateful that nobody was home when I got there around 11 am.

I knew it wasn't a good idea to watch those videos alone, yet, I did it anyway. Gods, I just wanted to remember them alive and smiling rather than seeing them after they had been killed. I watched Liz get her throat slit by an enemy and I still see that sometimes even being that I don't blame myself anymore. And Jay, I know he went down fighting and knew someone would come for him. I couldn't help it, I was the platoon leader; I felt like it was my job to keep them safe and when they were killed, I was powerless to stop it. To stop any of them. I felt guilty for them dying but Trey was right, it wasn't my fault. As platoon leader, it's my job to lead and do what I can but I can't watch everyone. It was originally twenty-three people plus myself to keep an eye on.

With Mason, RJ, Elizabeth, and Jay gone now; it meant I was in charge of nineteen soldiers and myself on top of it. However, I was already informed during a meeting with Harry and the other platoon leaders that if a platoon went below fifteen members, others would be brought in to fill the spots. Soldiers who were sitting in the reserves or guard. It was like being drafted, they would get a phone call telling them where they were going and then they would be catching the next flight to said destination to serve out their time. I found it a little weird that Archi Island would send reserve or guard soldiers before sending other active duty ones.

I supposed it was because active duty soldiers remained in their set platoons for the sake of deployment. It didn't make sense to break up those groups but pulling a few soldiers off the reserve and guard list to fill in places left open after losses seemed logical to a degree. Oh well, it wasn't my call. Harry just said that if any of our platoons went below fifteen, that is what would happen. Trey, Theo, Andrew and I enjoyed our lunch together and talked about things. After we had finished that, they brought me back home where I put away my laptop in my bedroom then spent time with Audrey, Caitlyn, and my Dad. Mom had still be working and my friends went home and said maybe we could hang out on Sunday since they knew that Saturday, today, is my date with Audrey.

My girlfriend and I were going to start our date at 10 am when the gates opened for the fall festival, it was a fair and only happened twice a year. Fall and Spring. It was a high chance that Audrey and I would spend a few hours at the fair, then we would probably take a walk in the park since it was still beautiful weather to do so. After that, we would likely go to a movie and dinner to follow. Or perhaps dinner, then a movie before going to her house to be by ourselves since her parents were out of town for something, they did a lot of traveling and that was fine by Audrey and I because it meant we could be alone to do whatever we wanted. I knew that Audrey and I would end up making love tonight, it had been a very long ten months since we had done it and I was positive that Audrey and me were taking every chance we got to hang out given I was going back to Iraq in two weeks from today.

The time now was 9:15 am, I was picking Audrey up at 9:45 and then it wouldn't take ten minutes to get to the fair grounds for when it opened. Caitlyn and Mom were off doing mother-daughter things; I'm pretty sure they mentioned something about hair and nails. So, that left Dad and I at the house waiting out the time before I left to get my girl.

"Have a fun day planned for you and Audrey?" Salvatore inquired.

"Yeah. We're gonna hit the fair for a few hours, then the park. We're seeing a movie at 4, the around 5:15 when it ends we're going to dinner," I replied with a smile.

"What movie are you going to see?" Sal asked calmly.

"Beauty and the Beast, the live action remake. Audrey has been dying to see it because it's her favorite and I'm not gonna tell her no," I chuckled a bit. Audrey and I had been looking up movies Friday night, and when she saw that it was playing this weekend, she begged me, and of course, I said yes.

"That will be fun; I heard it was supposed to be very similar to the original and some questions get answered that weren't explained in the one from twenty years ago. Where are you going for dinner?" my father asked.

"Probably to Uncle Greg's diner. As soon as he learned from you that I was home, he texted me and demanded I come see him," I laughed some. I hadn't seen my Uncle Gregory in almost a year because he was busy doing renovations on his diner when I shipped off for Basic and AIT, then he was away for a family emergency when I got deployed last November. Even if I didn't get to see him for long tonight, I had to at least get a hug from him.

"Ah good. Greg has been dying to see ya, son. Ya know, we were thinking about throwing you a going away party on Friday night next week," Sal mentioned.

"That would be cool I guess. You know I have to get to sleep early though," I reminded. "Need to be at the airport for 3 am,"

"I know, Hunter. I thought we might start the party around 3:30 pm, have an early dinner, sit back and relax, then you can be in bed by 9:30 or so," Sal offered.

"Sounds all right with me," I sat back relaxing. "Dad, was I too hard on Mom a few months back when she said she didn't support me anymore?" I asked. Sal looked over to me curiously.

"No, I feel your anger was justified, son. But perhaps it was unfair to punish us as well," Sal admitted.

"I know. I'm sorry. Mom just...ugh, I didn't need that from her after everything else, and I knew she would argue with me every time I called," I looked down.

"You could have called us during the day or used e-mails, Hunter. All of that aside, it's water under the bridge. You're home now, safe, and we're happy to get to see you for as long as we are," Sal smiled.

"It's not under the bridge, Dad. You know how tense things are between her and me. Every time the army or remaining tour time gets brought up, she leaves the room upset. Thor knows we can't even talk without risk of a fight. She's my Mom, and I will always love her, but I don't think she gets how much it hurts me that she doesn't support me, that she feels what I'm doing is wrong," I sighed heavily closing my eyes. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked at my Dad.

"Your mother knows how much it hurts you because I've mentioned it each time she gives you trouble over it. Like the graduation picnic at Thor's Edge, and that day on the phone after you told us you had been hurt. Remember when you were younger, you asked me why some people were mean?" Sal asked and I nodded, "It's just how they are son and no matter what you do, it's how they'll always be. True, some people do change for themselves but not others. It's not different with your mother. Your mom hated me in the army, doing my weekend drills, or deployments but regardless if she liked it or not, I was still going to do it. I was in the army before I got with her and she accepted that, now she'll have to do the same for you too. She is who she is and we can't be mad at her for that,"

"I suppose I get it. I'm not...mad at her, it just hurts me that she tries to control my life," I muttered.

"I know she's difficult, son. She doesn't like the idea of you being in the army because of the risks it involves. Her biggest fear is getting a visit from a notification officer and pastor telling us that you were killed in Iraq. Above all else, she's your mother, and she loves you, that's why she worries so much," Sal informed gently. "Try talking things out with her before you go back,"

"No promises," I sighed, "But I'll give it a shot. Just not today, I've been looking forward to this date all week," I beamed.

"I bet. It's been a while since you and Audrey got to enjoy some time together," Sal chuckled as I was taking a drink of my orange juice. "I'm sure it will be a fun time,"

"It will for sure. We might go hang at her hours afterward," I said.

"Seeing her parents?" Sal asked. I didn't reply right away, Audrey's parents were away on a trip. Audrey and I planned to be alone to make love, but I couldn't tell my Dad that, could I? I had promised him beforehand that the day I got sexually active with Audrey I would come to them with questions, but I never did. Audrey and I just went for it. "Or will you two be alone so you can have sex because I know her parents are away until next week?" Sal added as I froze a bit. "Come on now, son, you can tell me the truth. You and Audrey plan to have sex, don't you?"

My eyes widened. How in the name of Odin had he figured that out?! I couldn't lie to him. Well, I could, but it wouldn't be right to do so after all he's done for me. I think I owed it to my Dad to tell him the truth. I sighed. No, I couldn't lie to him. Not about this. "Yes, we do," I finally said.

"I know. I've known since last night, Hunter," Sal replied sitting back and relaxing.

"How?" I asked.

"You and Audrey have been together for two years now and you're both seventeen. I see the way you two look at one another when you think no one is around, I see how you two kiss. Those aren't kisses of two teens dating; they're ones to show a couple who has time in. A couple that gets into very intense make-out sessions that can go a lot farther at any time or even indicate that a couple has done more than just make out," Sal informed and I tried to deny it but couldn't. "I'm a male, son and was also once a teenager so I know how it goes. Oh, and piece of advice. Next time you're trying to hide something, don't leave the evidence in you're jeans,"

After my father said that, I saw him put down the receipt to the convience store I went to yesterday when I picked up the condoms for tonight. I'm an idiot, I gave myself away. "You found it when you ran pockets before doing the laundry, didn't you?" I asked.

"That I did. Don't worry; I didn't tell your mother," Sal winked.

"I owe you. So, you're not mad at me?" I asked.

"Well, I would have preferred you come to me first, like you said you would originally but no, I'm not mad. You still did as I asked and got protection for yourself. Is she protected as well?" Sal inquired.

"Yeah, she's on birth control. Has been since the start of Freshman year when her parents made her," I replied.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I know I said when Audrey and I made a choice I would probably come to you guys to make sure I didn't do anything wrong, but it's still a kid talking to his parents about sex and you know Mom would fly off the handle. If me joining the military didn't send her over the edge, knowing that Audrey and I were deciding to have sex would," I stated.

"Oh, I know. That's why I said back towards the beginning of May 2016, just don't tell your mother. I'm sure one of these days she's going to kill me for all the things I've done behind her back regarding you, such as the time I let you drink at fifteen, well, it was only one beer but you get my meaning," Sal said in agreement. "All that aside, son. I don't mind ya doing it with her, just be safe about it,"

"We will, Dad," I nodded.

"Good then. So, you know to go slow and that it will probably hurt her a bit at-" My eyes widened a bit seeing where my Dad was going. I honestly should just tell him the whole truth, that Audrey and I have been having sex since September of last year, minus the ten months being deployed.

"Dad," I started as he was quiet now.

"Sorry. I'm sure you...know what you're doing. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about it if you have questions," Sal reminded.

"I-I know that, Dad. I've...always been able to talk to about anything, and a subject regarding...sex with my girlfriend wouldn't make any difference in that. It's just, well," I paused a moment.

"What is it, son? You can tell me," Sal insisted.

"Tonight...won't be mine and Audrey's first time having sex," I told him.

"You just said you were. Having second thoughts about it, which is fine. Everyone gets nervous, and you should never feel pressured into-" My Dad went on.

"No, Dad. I mean that Audrey and I have...had sex before," I said in a clear tone as my father stopped abruptly and stared at me a little surprised. "Our...first time was last September when I got home from AIT and took Audrey on that date all day and into the night, I got home around 9:15. And since then up until well, the night before I got deployed to Iraq, Audrey and me have been having sex. Twice a week at most. I'm...sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It just...kind of happened that night, and I did have protection but-" I paused again.

"Why didn't you come to me, son? I told you last May that I wouldn't be upset about it," Sal asked.

"I know. In truth, Audrey and I have made out and used foreplay when we hit the six-month mark of dating. We had...already promised ourselves we wouldn't have sex until we had been together for a year at least. Once we hit that time frame in our relationship, I started by condoms. Not using them, but for the just in case we got too lost in the moment. That Sunday of the date, her parents were out, and we were alone. Caught in the making out, we went to her room and started with the foreplay, after that she asked if we could go all the way and after telling me she was on birth control, I agreed." I informed him.

"Well, at least you two made the decision to wait until you had been together for a year and used other methods, plus you two had protection so I can't be mad at you. But if your mother finds out about this, you and I are both dead," Sal told me, and I nodded with a small laugh.

"Right? Again, I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it last year. When I got home from AIT, everyone was always around, and I never had a moment to breathe with drill weekends, working twelve hours a day, coming home and being exhausted but by friends coming over," I explained.

"It's all right, Hunter. I understand. I'm not going to tell anyone, that can be up to you and Audrey when you reveal it. For now, you should get going; it's already 9:30," Sal said with a smile. I got to my feet and hugged him; I really did love my old man. Always there for me no matter what.

"Thanks, Dad. See ya tonight," I told him while grabbing my phone and keys.

"Stay the night with her, son," I blinked a few times.

"Mom will kill me," I retorted.

"Nah, I'll tell her you're staying with Trey at his place and will be back in the morning. I know how much you love her, Hunter and her parents are out of town, it's a Saturday night. Stay with her, believe me, she'll appreciate you not having to bail when you two are done," My Dad winked at me as I smiled.

"You're the best, Dad," I told him as I hurried down the hall and grabbed a set of sweat, then clothes for tomorrow along with my deodorant and toothbrush before heading outside to my truck and driving to Audrey's.

(Hofferson Household; 7:00 pm)

So we had ab absolute blast today! Got to the fair and did everything we could there until 3 pm, then bailed to go to the park for a relaxing walk alone and talking about things. At 4 pm, we went to see Beauty and the Beast. It was actually a good movie, I enjoyed it. From the theater, we went to dinner at my uncle's diner and boy was Greg happy to see me after so long. Audrey and I enjoyed our dinner until 6:45 pm, then finally we ended up here as planned at her house by ourselves.

"You sure you're okay from yesterday?" Audrey inquired as we were sitting on her bed with a little light music playing.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. It was just one of those moments where there was too much going on at once. Ya know? Just getting home, the transfer, the service, then both funerals," I told her.

"I know, it couldn't have been easy, babe but we're all here for you. Okay? Your Dad, sister, friends, me and we're not going anywhere," Audrey smiled with her hand on my shoulder. I smiled softly at her and leaned in for a kiss.

"I know that, Love. I appreciate it, but really, I'm all right. There will always be harder days than others, and those are the times I'll need all of you around me to get through it," I said after I pulled back from her lips and she smiled at me with her hand on my hand now.

"And we'll be there," Audrey nodded.

"Then I'm always going to be perfectly okay. So, how about we stop worrying about all that and get back to enjoying our time together since you know the others will want to hang out tomorrow before you go back to school," I suggested.

"Of course. Will you be stopping by during lunch hour still?" Audrey inquired.

"Probably. Might hang with some of the others from the team, make sure they're doing all right ever everything," I replied to her.

Audrey leaned her head on my shoulder as our fingers intertwined together. "I'm so glad you're home, even if it's only for two weeks,"

"Same here and just think. Eight more months and I'm home for good, and then we can enjoy the entire summer together. Whatever you want to do," I reminded.

"I'll have to start thinking of ideas then. In the meantime, what should we do tonight since my parents are gone, and we're...all alone?" Audrey asked while casting her eyes downward with a slight blush on her cheeks. I couldn't help but smile; I loved this woman with my everything and one day soon, I was going to make sure everyone knew it.

"Well, considering...your parents aren't home and...I don't have to abide by the curfew of a minor anymore," I trailed off as I turned my head and lifted her chin up while I kissed her gently then we stared into each other's eyes. "Why don't I show you how much I've missed you these past ten months all night long?"

"Don't you...have to go home tonight?" Audrey asked in shock of the suggestion.

"Nope," I replied as she arched a brow and I sighed a bit. "Look, my...Dad knows that we've had sex before. Stupid me left the receipt in my jeans last night, and when he did laundry, he checks pockets, so nothing gets ruined if we happened to forget about it. Dad found out I bought condoms; then he just pieced it together that we were spending all day together and coming back here. I guess he knew your parents weren't gonna be home and yeah...Dad outright asked if we were gonna have sex and I didn't lie to him. Also, he doesn't care as long as we're safe. Bonus in that, he's not going to tell anyone else, including my Mom and your parents," I explained quickly.

"Huh. Now it's gonna be weird when I see your dad because he knows we have sex. Oh well, I suppose we couldn't hide it forever," Audrey shrugged. "So, you're spending the night then?" she quirked a brow with a slight grin.

"That I am. Dad is gonna cover for me," I informed as I pushed her down onto her bed and crawled over her while she giggled a bit and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"In that case; you best show me how much you missed me and make that horrible ten months wait worth it," Audrey challenge.

"Orders understood and confirmed, ma'am," I retorted sarcastically with a grin of my own as I leaned down and kissed her deeply.

(Four Hours Later; 11 pm)

Right after I released, I kissed her again as we struggled to catch our breaths. Breaking apart from one another, I pulled out and tossed the condom away in Audrey's bedroom garbage because I knew she would likely throw it away tomorrow morning when we woke up. We were both tired, four hours of love making took it's toll on the body but Gods, it had been amazing to feel so much passion and pleasure in that time. Several orgasms, hours of foreplay and fucking at different times to draw it all out, nothing was better than this moment. Audrey slipped on her underwear and a t-shirt while I just got my boxers on and said fuck it to the rest of my clothes since I wasn't going home tonight.

Getting comfortable, I laid down and my beautiful girlfriend snuggled into my arms while we both smiled and shared another kiss as breathing was becoming easier to do.

"Mission...complete, soldier boy," Audrey remarked tiredly, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I kissed her forehead and not more than five minutes later; she was fast asleep. I smiled at the ceiling as sleep was beginning to take over me as well. Tonight had absolutely been worth the ten months wait.


	21. Party Time

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Party Time

Hunter's entire two weeks home was fabulous. One of the best nights of his life was the date on Saturday after Elizabeth's funeral, and that wasn't just because Audrey and he got to have sex after ten long months without it. The day itself had been perfect. Hunter felt a lot better with his father knowing that he and Audrey were sexually active, Hunter didn't like keeping secrets from his father and even if he tried to hide something, Hunter would feel guilty. Salvatore and Hunter had a strong father/son relationship; there were no secrets. No, the whole day with Audrey was fantastic. The fair, walking in the park, a movie, then dinner, finally ending the night by getting to make love for four hours and the bonus was Hunter getting to spend the night there with her. Everything had just been perfect.

When Sunday came around, Hunter and Audrey woke up and got bold in deciding to take a shower together where they had sex again, and Hunter admitted that wearing a condom in the shower was weird. After that was over, and they were dressed, Hunter made them breakfast, and the two returned to the Haddock residence together around 1 pm when their friends were already there. No one questioned why Hunter and Audrey had arrived together when Salvatore mentioned before they showed up that Hunter spent the night with Treyden at his house. The rest of that day was them hanging out. Through the week was school but Hunter did see them at lunch hour.

Audrey and Hunter got together as much as they could to relax; of course, they did end up making love most of those times. Just like before with it being two or three times a week. The two of them wouldn't get to do it again until Hunter's tour was over so might as well cash in on the opportunities while they could. Two weeks went by fast, and now it was Friday the 6th of October in the year 2017. Tomorrow, Hunter would be back on a plane with Striker One to return to Iraq for the remainder of his deployment. Today was the going away party for him, Salvatore invited all of Striker One and their families, plus Hunter's friends, and even Gregory.

The time currently was 2 pm, the party being held in a rentable hall to fit everyone. Not all who were invited showed up, but it was still a big group. Sal, Viola, Caitlyn, Hunter, Audrey, Treyden, Theo, Andrew, Danielle, Amanda, Conner, Nikolas, Zander, Amber, Renee, Travis, Fisher, Heather, Shane, Uncle Greg, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Mikayla. Also, much to Hunter's disliking, Eddie and Drew were there as well. For food, there was pizza, soda, chips, dip, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, some baked goods, and treats. Hunter had music going, and everyone was having a decent time. Today was going to be a good day, Hunter's last one home for the next eight months.

The only thing Hunter hadn't done yet, was take his father's advice to try and talk to his mother and patch things up before he left again. Sadly, Hunter didn't know if he would have time to speak to his mom before tomorrow morning came and Hunter got on the plane at 4 am. As it was, when Hunter got home tonight after the party, he was probably going to get a shower and go to sleep. Perhaps he could spare a little extra time to sit down with his mother and talk about the whole not supporting him issue. Right now, Hunter wasn't worried about it. He was surrounded by family and friends while enjoying his final day of leave.

"I can't believe you have to leave tomorrow," Audrey frowned.

"I know, two weeks went by too fast," Hunter nodded as he held her close, his arms wrapped around her waist and standing from behind her. "Don't worry; it'll be okay. We'll talk as much as we can," he assured.

"I hope so. You missed all the big holidays, and my birthday," Audrey sighed.

"Hey, I managed to get a call in for Christmas and your birthday. Plus, I sent you a gift," Hunter reminded as he kissed her cheek. It was true that he had. Audrey's birthday was May 10th, 2000 and Hunter managed to get a quick five-minute call in to wish her a happy birthday that morning before she went to school. However, later on, when Audrey got home, she found a package from Hunter on her doorstep with a dozen red roses sitting on the box. Inside the package was a small heart-shaped box of chocolates, a birthday card, and a little stuffed bear wearing an army uniform. Audrey had never been more surprised in her life; she sent Hunter an e-mail right away to thank him for the gifts.

Hunter also missed Caitlyn's birthday; she was fifteen now; her birthday had been in June on the 2nd. Hunter never got to call her due to the bad reception. And Hunter would miss his parent's birthdays this year. However, Hunter made sure to get them gifts but wanted to give each in person, so he brought them with him. Hunter left Audrey's side to move to his backpack and pull out a few boxes; then he handed them to their respected person.

"What are these?" Salvatore asked curiously.

"Presents for your birthdays, I didn't have time to wrap them. I know Mom's and yours haven't come yet, but since I won't be home for them and I don't have a guarantee of being able to call, I thought to give them early. And I missed Cait's birthday too. Also, for you and Mom in the second boxes are your mother's and father's day gifts," Hunter explained. Caitlyn was first to open hers, sitting inside her box was a necklace and charm bracelet. The necklace was one of those types where one person wore one side and the second person wore the other half. The two parts of this chain were a dog tag with a heart shape cut out and then the second piece was the heart with some words on it that made Caitlyn tear up a little.

"What does it say, sweetheart?" Viola asked.

"Side by side or miles apart, we'll always be siblings connected by the heart," Caitlyn read off as she hugged Hunter tightly. "You're the best big brother in the known universe," she told him as Hunter hugged her back.

"I do my best," Hunter replied as Caitlyn let go of him and put on the heart piece around her neck, then Hunter took the dog tag part and put it around his neck and under his shirt with his other tags. After that, Hunter went outside and brought in a large but thin wrapped gift. But first, Hunter handed him a card from his backpack. Sal opened the envelope, then the card.

"A Father means so many things. An understanding heart, a source of strength and support right from the very start. A constant readiness to help, in a kind and thoughtful way. With encouragement and forgiveness, no matter what comes your way. A special generosity and always affection too. A Father means so many things when he's a man like you," there was a pause as Sal continued to read on, "You're always the one I'll look up to no matter how old I get or how tall I've grown. Happy birthday, Dad. I hope this gift will remind that even though I wear my own now, it was you who taught me to walk in them with yours back then. With love always, your son, Hunter,"

"Awe!" Renee, Heather, Caitlyn, and Audrey said in adoration.

Salvatore didn't even need the gift, the card alone almost brought him to tears. Sal placed the card down and opened the gift, finding it to be a framed picture. The border was filled with photos from the day Hunter was born and being held by his father to the day Hunter was sworn into the army. Each picture showed them side by side, each year of Hunter's life and his most memorable moments with his Dad. In the center was a pair of boot prints labeled Salvatore Haddock, then a smaller set of the big ones with the name Hunter Haddock.

Under the two sets of boot prints was something written by Hunter and Sal choked up a bit reading it. "When I was little, people used to ask me who my favorite superhero was. Who was the person I wanted to be like when I grew up? I always told them the same thing; that I would grow up to walk in my hero's boots. My hero doesn't have super powers; he has a gun. My hero doesn't wear a skin tight suit or a cape; he wears a uniform and dog tags. My hero doesn't wear a mask; he wears a helmet. My hero doesn't need to hide his identity to protect himself because he's too busy protecting everyone else. Who is my hero? He's soldier, and I call him my Dad,"

Salvatore looked over at Hunter, shocked and surprised and then without warning, Sal just hugged him tightly, and Hunter returned it. "Didn't mean to make ya cry, old man," Hunter laughed a little.

"Thank you, son. It's an incredible gift, and I love it," Sal told him after the hug ended.

"You're welcome, but you still have one more to open," Hunter reminded.

"Well, let's let your mother go first. Birthday gifts then the mother's and father's day ones," Salvatore smiled, and Hunter nodded while both looked at Viola now, but she never made a move to open hers. "Vi?"

"I've been a horrible mother to you, Hunter. I don't deserve anything," Viola murmured looking down. Of course, it was easy to tell why she said that, because of the situation where she said she wouldn't support him anymore. Hunter sighed because he knew something like this would happen. This was the event of the day that was going to take it from good to problem. Apparently, this was going to be the talk they needed to have.

"That doesn't matter to me," Hunter said as Viola looked at him and Sal stepped back and had the others take a seat for now. "Yeah, you haven't been the greatest to me, but you're still my mom, and I'm not so heartless to not get you something for your birthday or mother's day,"

"Because your father likely told you to do it," Viola closed her eyes.

"Dad had nothing to do with this. It was my choice as is everything else I do. You've been moping about for three weeks since I've been home and it's starting to aggravate me. This is my _last_ day in town for another eight months, and I do not desire to spend it fighting with you on a trivial matter," Hunter stated sternly.

"You said you didn't want to bother with me since I don't give a damn," Viola argued.

"I said you wouldn't hear from me until I get my leave time and even then, it might not be worth my time see someone who doesn't give a damn. I've decided that it's worth my time to see my mother, regardless if she has been unsupportive of my decisions since middle school and thus far still believes she has a say in it anymore," Hunter reiterated.

"Yes, I know. You keep reminding me that I have no say in what you do and that I can't stop you because you and your father decided to go behind my back with all of it," Viola mentioned. "You've made it vividly clear who you prefer in your life,"

"Oh my Gods, are you really going to start this? Is that what you want to do right now? Because if you start this fight with me, you're going to lose." Hunter warned.

"It's the truth, Hunter. I might be your mother, but you don't seem to care because you have your father to go to when you want anything at all and Odin knows that he never tells you no," Viola huffed. Yep, this was starting.

Hunter's eyes narrowed at her. "I gave you the warning to stop while you were ahead but since you want to have this out, then I'm not holding back. It's not that I prefer to have Dad in my life over you, over anyone for that matter. It's that I prefer to go to Dad because he listened to me! Everything I have ever asked you about or for, you say no without hearing what I have to say first. Dad never tells me yes unless I can prove to him he won't regret his decision to allow it. All other matters aside, your biggest problem is that I'm in the army,"

"That is not true. My problem is that you don't come to me, you go to your Dad and then do things behind my back! How is that supposed to make me feel? That you love him more than me?" Viola countered.

"And how the fuck do you think it makes me feel that you don't support a single thing I want to do?! That you give Caitlyn whatever she wants, you listen to her, help Cait with her problems...that you seem to love my sister more than me?" Hunter questioned in a louder tone.

"I love both of my children equally," Viola stated quickly.

"That is a bullshit lie, and you know it. Don't even go there with me; the army has taught me a lot more than how to fight. It's also taught me to know when someone is lying to my face. You and Caitlyn have the same strong relationship that Dad and I do. Cait doesn't go to Dad when she needs help; she goes to you. Just like I go to Dad instead of you. That's just how it is. How dare you try and give me shit over something you do as well! You're such a hypocrite!" Hunter glared.

Viola didn't say anything that time. "Still want to tell me you love your kids equally? I've been offered to skip grades since elementary school; you always said no. Caitlyn does good in 7th grade, gets the chance to jump to 9th and guess who was all over allowing it? You. I wanted a puppy; you said no because I wouldn't take care of it. Caitlyn wanted a kitten, and two days later we suddenly had a cat in the house, and I got stuck on making sure the bowls were filled and the litter box cleaned. I used to ask you for rides to hang out with my friends back when Dad was still in the army; you told me you were too busy. Cait will ask you while you're working in your office at home if you'll take her to a friends house and you drop everything to take her, even if it's 8:30 at night. Have I made my point or should I keep going?" Hunter asked.

"Those are small examples, Hunter, and your father was always on board with it," Viola sighed.

"LIKE YOU GAVE HIM THE CHOICE TO SAY NO!" Hunter yelled as Viola flinched a bit. No one liked when Hunter got mad, and it took a lot to get him to start screaming. Not even Drew and Eddie wanted to test him. "You would tell Caitlyn that you'll talk to Dad, but you didn't talk. You said what you were going to do and it happened. There was no discussion. You waited until Dad would get home, exhausted from working all day, then lay it on him and he was too tired to argue with you. You went just as much behind his back as he does yours!"

"You went to your father about getting your GED and joining the army, and he said it was all right!" Viola got to her feet now.

"Wrong. I talked to Dad about giving me a chance to get my GED, and we made a deal. If I passed the practice tests with nothing lower than a seventy-five, he would let me take the GED and then if I passed that, he would let me join the army with his full support and help. If I had failed, the situation would have been different. I didn't ask Dad to let me take the GED, I asked him to give me a chance," Hunter retorted angrily.

"It still ended up with you in the army at sixteen-years-old and lying to everyone about where you were all summer," Viola replied gently.

"Because I'm not a fucking idiot which you apparently think I am. So what if I got my GED at sixteen, Mom. It means that I'm smarter than most kids my age and have the knowledge level required to be considered a high school graduate. I think that should make you happy, but that's not the case. I did not technically lie about where I was. I said I was going to camp to learn how to be a soldier, and that's what I did. I just didn't tell you that it was boot camp," Hunter crossed his arms over his chest.

"Watch your tone and language, Hunter. I'm still your mother, and you will respect me," Viola warned.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't? Hm? Disown me? Throw me out? Are you going to ground me until I turn eighteen?" Hunter asked with a grin. "Oh! Oh, wait a second! You can't because I'm legally considered an adult to Archi Island, and that means that I'm in charge of my life, not you," Viola bit back some and that response made Salvatore blink in shock. "It's no longer your responsibility to take care of me, and you can't tell me what to do. I don't have to respect you if I don't want to,"

"Then why do you respect your father? You don't give him any trouble when he asks you to do something," Viola mumbled.

"Would you like the honest answer to that question?" Hunter inquired, and Viola nodded. "Because Dad gives me the same respect I give him. It's a two-way street, just like many other aspects between two people. If you want respect, you have to give respect. If you want friends, you have to be friendly. If you want someone to be kind to you, then you have to be nice to them. If you want to be accepted for who you are, then you have to accept others as they are,"

"When I come to Dad with a problem or need to talk to him, he stops what he's doing to listen to me. Dad won't talk or cut me off; he'll wait until I'm done, and then he'll ask questions to make sure he understands what I'm coming to him about. Though, sometimes he takes it way out of context and makes it awkward like when I went to him about the possible GED thing," Hunter stated.

"Hey, in fairness, you started the conversation with it being a personal issue, and you didn't want your mother knowing," Salvatore mentioned instantly. "What else was I supposed to think besides you and-" Hunter facepalmed and sighed. "Sorry,"

"Relax, Dad. I know. That was my fault for not assuring you of the commonly assumed problems," Hunter told him.

"Why, what did you think Hunter was having a problem with, Dad?" Caitlyn asked.

"Not that it has a bearing on this conversation, but Dad assumed Audrey and I were going to start having sex so all he told me was to make sure I had condoms and she was on birth control. Oh, and to not tell Mom because she would kill him," Hunter responded.

"I most certainly would. You're too young, Hunter," Viola stated quickly then turned her attention to Sal. "And I better not find out you bought him condoms, Salvatore. He's only a teenager,"

"Mother, please. I assure you I don't need Dad to buy me condoms. I have a license, truck, and excellent paying job, I can buy them myself. Not to mention, I don't feel that someone who wants to have sex should be having someone else buy condoms for them because it would be a clear indication that they are nowhere near ready to engage in intercourse. And for the record, half of the Freshman class when I was still attending that school were having sex at fifteen," Hunter informed with an eye roll.

"You best not have been one of them," Viola warned.

"Give me a little credit, would you? I didn't have sex at fifteen," Hunter remarked, and Viola breathed out a sigh of relief as Hunter's eyes caught Audrey's and she was telling him just to tell the truth, and there was no point hiding anymore. "I had sex at sixteen," he added calmly as the room was silent, everyone staring at him and then to Audrey except for Sal who just sat back relaxing.

"You. Did. What?!" Viola screeched out.

"Do I have to say it in another language for you? I know Spanish, French, Italian, and Arabic. Audrey and I started having sex when I got home from AIT last September. We still do it twice a week and before you ask; yes, Dad knew about it. Of course, he only found out two weeks ago," Hunter shrugged.

"You put it in his head with you assumption he was going to do it!" Viola yelled at Salvatore.

"I did not. Hunter told me that Audrey and he weren't taking their relationship that far when I made the assumption! Hunter and his girlfriend had sex the first when he took her on that all day date and stayed at her place until 9ish. Been doing it ever since. Two weeks ago on Saturday they were doing it, I told him to spend the night with her and informed the rest of you that he was staying at Treyden's. The boy is safe about it, Vi, come on. Hunter is almost eighteen and then Audrey right behind him," Sal said quickly.

Viola went to start again, but Hunter was going to put his foot down. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" Silence fell over the room again. "Yes, Audrey and I have sex. It's not unheard of for a couple to do that. And we are certainly not discussing it right now as we're on another topic. I only told you to prove further that I don't care what you say or do, I'm still going to do what I want to do. I'm sick of having this argument with you, Mom. It's going to stop here and now or you're not going to hear from me again. I will contact everyone else, except you and when my tour ends in May, I'll move out, and you won't see me either. Is that what you want?"

"No..." Viola whispered.

"Then sit down and pay attention because this is the last time I'm going to put up with it. If it happens again, there will be no warnings," Hunter said firmly as Viola sat down.

"I've kept my mouth shut about every instance where you loved Caitlyn more than me. I just accepted it and kept going because it was easier than fighting with you. Bottom line, Mom. I meant what I said in Iraq; I'm through putting my hopes on you supporting me and my choices. I get you don't like it and worry about me, but it's my choice to be there. Well, in the army, not so much the overseas thing. It was my choice to join, and whether it was when I was sixteen or graduated from High School, it was going to happen," Hunter told her.

"I will not ask you to change how you are. I have accepted that and chose to leave it be. I will not ask you to support me being in the army. The only thing I will ask is that you fake it convincingly by keeping your remarks to yourself as I have done in the past when you do something that I don't like. I always put on the smile for you, made you think I was cool with things you chose to do and now I ask you to return the favor by accepting that you can't change me or who I am. Okay? I fight enemies while deployed; I don't want to have to come home to family and keep fighting. All right? Will you do that for me, please? If nothing else you've ever given me, just give me this,"

With a softened look in her eye, Viola sighed. "Very well, Hunter. If that's what you want from me,"

"Thank you. Now, open your gift," Hunter said.

"Y-You still want me to have it?" Viola asked, having not expected that Hunter wanted her to keep the gifts he got her. "I've been horrible to you,"

Hunter uncrossed his arms and stared at her with calm eyes. "But you're still my mother," Hunter said as she looked at him quickly. "You might be unfair to me and a royal pain in my ass sometimes but you're my mom nevertheless, and I still love you no matter what," he smiled afterward. Viola didn't have a response to his words. Instead, she got up and hugged him tightly. Hunter hugged her back, "You know, the crying and hugging is supposed to come after you open the gift,"

"I don't need gifts, having you is one of the greatest I've ever received," Viola whispered to him before she pulled back and kissed his forehead.

"Yeah well, I got you something anyway so open it, and we can get back to having fun?" Hunter told her. Viola sat down as she got the box marked for birthday and opened the sides to see what was in there. Viola pulled out a silver charm bracelet. "You can add charms to it too. I took the liberty of getting a one to represent me. It's the charm that says; _Mother Of A Soldier_ ," he added.

"Oh, son. It's beautiful, thank you," Viola hugged him again.

"Not yet, you still have your mother's day gift to open," Hunter smiled, and Viola grabbed the second box, a little smaller than the first. Opening it, Viola pulled out a heart-shaped necklace that had three colors on it. "Each color represents someone, and all placed on the heart for you to wear, so you always know we're with you. Dad's birthstone, mine, and Caitlyn's. Along with the engraving; _Forever With You_ ," he explained as he took it out of the box and placed it around her neck and hooked it in place. "And on the the back it has our names and birthdays," he added.

"I'll never take it off. Thank you, Hunter. I promise to...try and be less of a pain in your ass from now on," Viola told him.

"I'll take what I can get," Hunter replied, and they hugged again. "Now, let's get back to having fun, and I'm gonna kick it off with Dad's father's day gift. Don't worry, old man, I didn't get you jewelry," Hunter stated as Salvatore blinked. "It's party time,"


	22. Right Back In It

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Right Back In It

No one quite knew what Hunter had planned, but it had to be big if he said he was going to kick the party off with it. There were a lot of questions about the argument they just witnessed between Hunter and his mother, mainly about the fact that Hunter and Audrey had sex before and apparently did it pretty often. However, as much as everyone wanted to know, they knew better than to tick him off today. Hunter said it was his father's day gift to his Dad so genuinely; everyone was curious to what Hunter was going to do. Hunter grabbed his phone and plugged it into his docking station while scrolling through the songs, not that anyone was close enough to see the titles. Finally, he picked one and stepped back.

"I wrote this for you, Dad, so I hope you'll like it," Hunter stated as Salvatore tilted his head a bit while the rest of the room was just as confused, except maybe the nine from Striker One who seemed just to smile knowing what Hunter was going to do. Hunter said he wrote this for his Dad, did that mean he wrote a song for him? Soon the music started, and everyone stayed quiet.

" _He's got a corner lot on Dogwood Drive, a year old truck, and a nine to five. Comes home at night to a pretty wife with a baby due. He'll sleep in on Saturday, cut the grass if it don't rain. After church, he'll watch the game and have a beer or two. He'll stand up when he hears the anthem, and that won't ever change..."_ Hunter sang in tune with the music; there was a brief pause before he smiled at his father who just stayed in his chair watching and listening.

" _He's still a soldier. His blood runs red, white, and blue. He put away his gun and boots, but he still believes, the Archian Dream. 'Til his last breath, he'll always be...A Soldier. He's still a soldier,"_ Hunter looked at Salvatore who seemed to enjoy the song.

" _He's on his couch for the news at ten, he'll see those places that he's been, and when a brother falls, there's a part of him that does too. And if they called and needed him back, aw, he'd be on that plane,"_ In this, Salvatore only seemed to close his eyes and nod as if to agree completely with the words.

" _He's still a soldier. His blood runs red, white, and blue. He put away his gun and boots, but he still believes, the Archian Dream. 'Til his last breath, he'll always be...A Soldier. He's still a soldier!"_ Hunter sang out as Sal's smile grew, and there was a small guitar solo before Hunter took a deep breath. _"He don't wake up anymore when he hears thunder. Oh, but even if he lives to be a hundred...He'll still be a soldier. He's still a soldier; he's put away his gun and boots. But he still believes, the Archian Dream. 'Til his last breath, he'll always be...A soldier. He's still a soldier. He's still a soldier!"_ Hunter held a note a few seconds, and then the music just faded off.

Sal got up from his seat and hugged Hunter tightly, "That was an amazing song, son. Thank you, I loved it, and I demand you make the chorus my ringtone,"

Hunter only laughed as he hugged his father back and nodded. "I'll do it tonight before I go to sleep. I'm glad you enjoyed it, took me months to get everything right for it," Hunter told him.

"It was perfect, Hunter. I never knew you were so good with music," Audrey mentioned.

"Eh, now and then if something comes to me," Hunter shrugged as he pulled her against his figure and she blushed but snuggled into his embrace.

"Sounds good altogether, man. Good job," Theo mentioned.

"Thanks, Theo," Hunter replied and looked at the clock on the wall. It was about 2:50 pm, the party was just getting started. Of course, Hunter and Audrey were going to try and sneak away at 7:30 pm to make love one more time before Hunter took her home. Then he would go to bed himself since he had to be up at 3 am to get to the airport for 3:30, check in, and board at four. Perhaps it might be cutting it too close so best if he got up at 2:30 and gave himself the extra half an hour to make sure nothing went wrong. Hunter knew his father wouldn't care if he bailed early with Audrey but everyone else might, given they all knew the truth now.

(5 pm)

It was close to two hours later now, and they were all sitting around and talking about anything. School, jobs, home life, relationships. It turned out that Renee and Shane were officially a couple now and had happened during that week when the school was shut down for renovations. Of course, Hunter knew about that because Shane had come to him to ask how to go about asking Renee out. Hunter suggested a movie and dinner, Shane went for it, and everything worked out. Hunter was happy for his cousin. Fisher and Heather were doing great too, yet, Hunter seemed to be picking up that Andrew had a thing for Caitlyn by the way they kept glancing at one another.

That might become an issue Hunter would have to deal with. Caitlyn was fifteen and Andrew was eighteen now. The age difference wouldn't mean that much except for the fact that Andrew was considered an adult and while being with a minor wasn't illegal, them doing anything sexually related was. It could land Andrew time in prison even if Caitlyn consented to it. If Andrew and Caitlyn got together, they wouldn't be allowed to do anything but kiss and hold hands until Caitlyn turned eighteen herself and by that point, Andrew would twenty-one. Hunter didn't mind them dating; he felt better with Andrew in a relationship with his little sister over it being Eddie. The thought still made him cringe.

"So, I have to know. When did you two decide to, y'know, go all the way?" Drew asked motioning to Hunter and Audrey.

"Not that it's any of your business, but it happened the Sunday after I got home from AIT. Audrey and I had talked about it before and agreed to wait until after we had been together for a year then revisit the discussion. However, that night we got lucky with her parents leaving for some dinner thing, and we were alone. Got caught up in the making out, went to her room, and it went from there," Hunter informed.

"Just went at it? No protection or nothing?" Travis inquired.

"What? No," Audrey rolled her eyes. "Originally, Hunter and I went to my room just to engage in a little foreplay to relieve some of the sexual tension from making out. After we both...finished, I guess you could say; I asked him if we could go all the way. Hunter asked if I had birth control, I said yes, and he had condoms," she explained.

"How was it?" Renee leaned in curiously.

"How was...what?" Audrey replied.

"Don't play dumb. The sex! How was it the first time?" Renee asked.

"Did it hurt? I've heard that it can," Heather questioned next.

"And how dare you not tell us, Hunt. We had a deal to tell one another if any of us got laid," Andrew reminded with a smack to Hunter's arm.

"Sorry, things got kind of crazy with work and what not so I never mentioned it," Hunter stated.

"Well great then! Hunter was first to lose his virginity on Striker One," Conner announced as the rest of the team cheered and laughed. Hunter facepalmed hard and then dragged his hand down his face while shaking his head. Only his team would get excited that he got laid last year.

"I love how you are finding out I had sex and it's the highlight of your day," Hunter rolled his eyes.

"So stop holding out on us and give details!" Treyden teased him.

"Yeah, come on. We just want to know how the first time went," Nikolas urged. Hunter looked at Audrey now.

"It's up to you, babe," Hunter asked.

"Ugh. Fine. Our first time was incredible and much better than foreplay. Dear Gods, I've never felt anything like it, and I swear it gets better every time," Audrey enlightened.

"So, it didn't hurt?" Caitlyn asked.

"It stung a bit at first, but then it faded off into pleasure," Audrey shrugged.

"All right, I gotta ask. The night before we left for the tour when you took Audrey to her house to get clothes so she could spend the night, were you two out screwing? It took you a while to get back and when you both came in you looked like you were high as a kite minus the drugs," Treyden inquired.

"Yeah. Parked behind an abandoned gas station and went at it for an hour in the back seat of the truck," Hunter responded.

"And I assume you've been protected every single time, right Hunter?" Viola questioned while arching a brow.

Hunter sighed, "Yes mother, we have been. I keep a four pack in the truck, two in my wallet, and an eight-pack at home in my nightstand drawer,"

"Don't get huffy, Hunter. I'm still not thrilled about just finding out a year later my son has been having sex," Viola closed her eyes.

"There are worse things I could do than having protected sex with my girlfriend of one year during the first time, two years now, and three years come June 2018 after I get back in May," Hunter remarked.

"Such as?" Eddie arched a brow.

"I could be out drinking, smoking, doing drugs, sleeping around with whoever wanted to as just a few examples," Hunter shrugged.

"Lad has a point. Be grateful, Vi. Least the boy had some common sense to make sure they were both prepared and waited until they had some time in before just jumping into it," Gregory mentioned.

"I suppose so," Violet nodded. "Is there word on when you will be home, son?"

"Sometime in May. I assume the end of because we have to get past the 25th first. I don't think I should be back any later than the start of June next year," Hunter replied calmly.

"I can't wait for that day," Audrey smiled while relaxing against her boyfriend contently.

"Same goes for-" Violet was cut off by the familiar beep of Hunter's phone. It was the one that signaled someone trying to use the walkie-talkie feature. Audrey sat up and let Hunter get his phone off the docking station and the music cut. Hunter closed the application down then held the button on the side until it beeped again.

 _ **=Ander-=**_ As soon as Harry started talking, a bomb was heard going off in the background, and all of Striker One fell silent and held serious along with worried faces. **_=Bastards. Haddock, can you hear me all right?=_**

=Little hard over the noise but I can hear you enough. What's going on over there?= Hunter asked right away.

 _ **=No time t-RPG! EVERYONE DOWN!=**_ Another loud explosion was heard, soldiers yelling out, more gunfire. = ** _Haddock, I need you and Striker One at Fort Draco in one hour to return to Draconia Base. I want you all in full gear and ready to fight if this hasn't stopped. It's not negotiable, and I don't have time to explain. I need my A-Team. I've arranged for you to be here in four hours using the fastest planes available. Are those orders understood, Sergeant?=_**

=Loud and clear, Major. Stay safe, we'll see you in a few hours. Haddock over and out.= Hunter lowered the phone and looked at his team, then his family and friends who looked terrified at the sudden news. "All right, this is not a drill! Let's go, on the double. Move! Move! Move! Get to Fort Draco within the hour!" Hunter ordered. Without warning, all of Striker One got to their feet and hurried out with Trey waiting for Hunter.

"You have to leave now?" Caitlyn asked quickly as tears filled her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," Hunter started.

"Don't worry about apologies, son. Go on and be safe. Update us as soon as you can," Salvatore stood up and put his hands on Hunter's shoulders.

"I will. Thanks, Dad," Hunter replied. As quick as he could, Hunter hugged his sister and mother then kissed their foreheads, he hugged his father and Greg, did a handshake with his uncle and cousin, another hug for his aunt. Finally, kissed Audrey before rushing out with Treyden and getting into Hunter's truck before speeding off to the Haddock residence.

"I don't understand what just happened," Viola said trying to calm herself down from the shock.

"Striker One got called back ahead of their scheduled time for what appears to be a situation where they need Hunter's squad," Greg stated.

"Yes. Andersen did mention needing his A-Team, that must be Striker One since the rest of the platoons are there still," Salvatore agreed.

"What...will ten soldiers change, though? If Harry had to call them back to a base that holds an entire Division of troops, what will ten more change?" Caitlyn whimpered.

"I don't have the answer to that, sweetheart. All I know is if they are being called back, they're needed badly, and their CO believes it can make a difference. We just have to hope that Hunter will call when it's over and be able to tell us what happened. Let's start cleaning things up and getting home," Salvatore replied, and that's what they did, all praying that Hunter would be all right.

(Fort Draco; One Hour Later)

It was beyond hectic for the members of Striker One to hurry to their houses to grab their bags, give a quick goodbye to their families with little to no explanation and reached Fort Draco within the allotted time slot provided by Harry. When they arrived, all gear was put on and issued their guns. With all ten members geared up and ready to go, they boarded the plane and sat down after Hunter did roll call. Not more than ten minutes following that, Striker One was on their way to Iraq, set to land in four and a half hours, the half was for a quick fuel stop in the middle, but they wouldn't be deboarding for it.

"What could be so bad that we're called back now?" asked Amber curiously.

"I don't know. You heard Andersen; he needs his A-Team. Though, I've never been able to figure out why he calls us that," Zander shrugged.

"It might be something we never know. For now, all we can do is get ourselves together and be ready for whatever awaits us when we get there," Theo mentioned.

"Still, it sounded bad," Andrew interjected.

"It's war guys and girls. It's not meant to be good," Hunter stated from his seat with his eyes closed. Everything had been going great during the party. Music, talking, eating, no drama and now this with being called back early and entering a situation they had no idea about because Harry didn't have time to explain. "It would be in your best interest to try and get some rest. Thor only knows what we're going to be flying into when we get there and with it being 6:15 pm now, it should be around 12:30 am when we arrive due to the time change," he added.

"Hunt's right. When we get there, it's going to be crazy so we better sleep now," Treyden agreed. Deciding that both of them were right, the team of ten soldiers decided to get as comfortable as they were able and rest up.

(1 am)

Unforeseen circumstances had them landing half an hour later than planned, something went wrong at the fueling stop, and it took longer to get the job done. Now, they were in Iraq; the pilots had announced them going into blackout mode to land. By 1:10 am, they were wheels down and coming to a slow on the runway. After stopping, the ten soldiers made their way out of the plane to see Asher waiting for them.

"Lieutenant Holgerson, what is going on?" Hunter asked right away.

"It's been wave after wave. Attacks on the base, neighboring villages and districts too," Asher explained. "We've pushed them back for the now, but there's no telling when another striker will take place,"

"And why did he need us back before tomorrow, sir?" Danielle asked.

"For a very particular mission that your group is known for excelling in. I don't have details on it, but I know it'll be dangerous. I've been asked to take you straight to the heart of Draconia base to meet with the leaders and get briefed. Leave your bags here; someone will bring them to your barrack," Asher informed.

"We're ready," Hunter nodded affirmatively.

"Then let's get going," Asher motioned for them to follow as they loaded into the vehicle and started for the center hub of operations for the Draconia base. Hunter didn't know what was going on, none of them did. All that was known thus far was them being needed for a mission. Driving through the base, there was a lot of smoke, and if they were close enough, they could see fire too. Soldiers were running around; orders were being shouted, injured were being carried to the infirmaries around the base. To Hunter, it didn't matter. Striker One had returned to Iraq and about to be thrown right back into it.


	23. No Sleep Tonight

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

No Sleep Tonight

~Hunter's POV~

Three whole weeks since I've been back in Iraq and unable to either get a signal or have time to call home and update my family and friends on things. Audrey, Caitlyn, Mom, and Dad had all been trying to e-mail, instant message, even walkie-talkie me but I just couldn't answer them. When we arrived back here, Asher took us directly to the central hub of the Draconia base to be informed about a mission that we were needed for. In all that, the base was being attacked in waves every few hours leaving barely any time for the soldiers stuck fighting to recouperate. The drive from the air strip to the main building reveals how much of a mess everything was; people wounded or dead, there were fires, explosions going off in the distance. At some point, I couldn't bear to look at it anymore so I turned my head and closed my eyes. I only hoped the mission we were doing would stop these seemingly endless attacks and give everyone a chance to heal up.

Granted, there were a lot of soldiers at this camp but not all of them were set for battle. The attacks would come at different angles, making it impossible to request backup or rest to be had. The mission was horrible but we pulled through with only injuries and no deaths, thank the Gods for that much. In short what we had to do was infiltrate a base belonging to the enemies, this station was given up during an interrogation that I got stuck doing as part of the mission because I was apparently good at making people talk and no one else had any luck. Our mission had been to sneak in, locate the one calling the shots and kill them.

The worst part about the situation was that we arrived in Iraq at 1 am then I spent two hours interrogating the captive. After that it took an hour to get to the enemy base, and a day to get the mission done, then finally, an hour back to Draconia. I had to stay to give the report while the rest of my team went for a shower or straight to bed, anyone injured was taken to the infirmary. Total time mission time started at 1:30 am Saturday and into Sunday morning at 2 am when we got back to Draconia, then add on the two hours I was reporting the mission to the base leaders. It was 6 am, Sunday morning the 8th of October before I got to sleep. All in all, it sucked but it was worth it because the attacks had stopped.

This didn't mean we won the war, but we got them to back off for a bit. Attacks since the mission had been very small, strikes in the different districts and residential areas continued to be a problem though. Also, there were other enemy bases to worry about. We only took out the person ordering attacks from the base closest to us, and the base wasn't destroyed so enemies could end up using it again. The positive to all the negative was that for the last three weeks, things have become manageable. I had been the one to kill the enemy that day, the base leaders sent me to psych evaluation and that took two hours too before I got to sleep. Thankfully, Harry had told the rest of my platoon to leave me be so I could sleep. I ended up sleeping until 5 am Monday morning; only getting up to use the bathroom and grab a snack to eat.

But here we were, three weeks since then; it was now October 28th, 2017 and I've had no time to contact home so they would know I was all right. One other big thing did happen that I forgot to mention; a week after the mission I got promoted to First Sergeant for the exceptional work on the task I got assigned. A few of the others made it to Private First Class. Treyden made Staff Sergeant, Theo reached Specialist, and Andrew made Corporal. I'd say we did a pretty damn good job, and I still had not a clue as to why Harry referred to Striker One as his _A-Team_ , yet, I hadn't asked him either because things had been so crazy with getting back our feet after all those attacks.

Finally, things were what we could consider normal again. It was back to guards and patrols, missions for recon and contact once or twice. Honestly, I just wanted ten minutes to be able to let someone know I was okay and would update them soon. Such was not my luck and to make things worse on top of that, I think I'm getting sick again. I've felt shitty since breakfast at 8 am and then we had a patrol for eight hours starting at 10 am in one of the residental distracts. The time now was 7 pm, just an hour since the shift ended and we'd be leaving for dinner in a minute or two, I just wanted to sleep and stay on the water so there was not a repeat of BCT graduation day. My friends were never going to let me live that one down.

"Hunt? Hey, wake up. We're heading to dinner," Andrew tapped my arm a few times since I was laying on my bed with my eyes closed. I forced myself to sit up and get down next to them.

"Wasn't sleeping," I mentioned tiredly.

"Hey, you all right, Hunter? You don't look so good," Theo questioned with a concerned voice.

"I'm good, Theo, just tired," I smiled at him. Seeming to accept my answer, the four of us exited our room and filed out with the rest of the platoon towards the mess hall for dinner. Once we were there and had our food, we sat down and started eating. I didn't get through a lot of my dinner before I started feeling worse with a headache and nauseated, I knew better than to keep eating if that was the case.

Treyden was first to notice that I'd gone quiet and stopped eating. "Hunter, are you sure-" he was cut off when Harry came over.

"Haddock, I need to speak with you a moment," Harry asked.

"Sure thing, Major," I replied and got up to follow him out where it would be quieter. "What's up?"

"As you remember, Lieutenant Holgerson had to leave two days ago on a family emergency. Sergeant Rodriguez and Lieutenant Grove are both tied up tonight with their missions, and it's Charlie platoon's patrol on our side of the base line this evening. I've got a meeting with the other company leaders for Dreki Battalion so I can't go. I know you pulled eight hours earlier Would you be willing to go with Charlie as their CO for the 2200 to 1000 shift?" Harry inquired.

Great. Did I have it in me to make it through a twelve-hour patrol over night? I should probably decline and tell Harry that I feel sick to my stomach, but I could see the desperation in my Major's eyes that he wasn't supposed to miss this meeting and was relying on me in a tight spot.

"I'll go with them, Major," I finally said after a minute of silence.

"I knew I could count on you, First Sergeant. I'll let them know they are under your command for the shift," Harry smiled, and I nodded to him. "Thank you for doing this," he added before walking away. I stayed outside and stared up at the sky contemplating what I just agreed to. Twelve-hour patrol for the Dreki Battalion base line with the Charlie Conqueror platoon since Asher wasn't here and the other two platoon leaders were on missions already. This started in two and a half hours at 10 pm, right now it was 7:30 and I'd only just gotten off my own platoon's patrol shift an hour and a half ago. Odin give me strength.

I returned inside the mess hall and sat back down with my friends. "You should turn in early, Hunter," Amanda offered gently.

"I agree. You look beat," Nikolas added in.

"Can't. Andersen just asked me to do base line patrol with Conqueror since Asher isn't here and the other two platoon leaders are busy with their missions," I replied.

"Dude, we just got off an eight-hour shift at 1800. Why didn't Andersen go with them?" Theo asked.

"Because he had meetings with the other company leaders in Dreki Battalion and asked if I wouldn't mind taking the shift," I informed.

"How long is it?" Zander questioned.

"Twelve hours, starting at 2200," I answered.

"Are you going to be okay to do that, Hunter? I mean, you already did eight with us, and we were up at 0400 for that mission to unpin a squad that wasn't in our company until 0530. You...said you were tired not even half an hour ago," Treyden mentioned.

"And I gotta agree with what Theo said earlier, you don't look like your usual self, Hunt," Andrew interjected.

"Guys. I'll be all right," I smiled at them.

(9:45 pm)

~Normal POV~

Hunter was preparing to leave for the shift with Conqueror and decided to keep his phone in the barrack to charge since it was nearly dead anyway. Theo, Andrew, and Treyden were all watching him get ready with his gear on, and his three friends silently observed him. It was briefly discussed after Hunter left the mess hall that something was off; Hunter seemed abnormally slow today, added to that was the fact he kept saying he was tired. Treyden made mention that Hunter didn't eat half his food and a bigger thing they noticed together was that Hunter looked a little pale.

"Well, see you guys in the morning. Oh, Trey, if you wouldn't mind that is, could you try and get a call through my parents to let them know I'm all right since I haven't been able to contact them in three weeks?" Hunter asked.

"I'll give it a shot before we go to sleep. Just tell them you are okay? You know they are going to ask about the sudden departure three weeks ago," Treyden replied.

"Well, you know we're not allowed to talk about anything over a level four due to security reasons. Call my Dad's cell, if you get through, let him know we were needed for a level seven operation. He'll know what it means," Hunter informed.

"Got it. Be safe out there, Hunt," Andrew said, and Hunter nodded before exiting the room, then the barrack to meet up with Charlie Conqueror platoon and get to the base line for 10 pm. As soon as he was out of earshot, the three remaining soldiers in the room sighed heavily.

"Anyone else getting a distinct feeling that we've been here before?" Theo finally said.

"Yep. It's graduation day all over again except for the fact we haven't seen him throwing up," Andrew retorted.

"And now he's about to do twelve hours at the base line even though he's been up since 4 am," Treyden mumbled. "Let's just be grateful that it's not that hot anymore, its cooler this time of year. I guess I should try to get that call in for him; it's about 7:45 back on Archi right now," he added while grabbing Hunter's phone while it was on the charger and located Salvatore's contact ID then checked how much service was available; only one bar and he knew from previous conversations with Hunter that it wouldn't even connect unless there were two so he would have to wait a bit and see if it improved at all. Generally as it got later, the signal would get better.

(Berkton; 11:00 pm-Haddock Residence)

"Sal, something has to be wrong. We haven't heard from him in three weeks," Viola whimpered into her husband's chest about the fact Hunter hadn't contacted them at all since the abrupt departure from his own going away party on the 6th of October. Tonight; Audrey, Heather, and Renee were sleeping over with Caitlyn. Fisher and Travis were staying with Shane but the Jorgenson house was only an eight minute walk down the street so they were currently over at the Haddock's home to hang out and pray that any of their phones would go off and it would be Hunter calling them to say he was all right.

"Vi, I've told you before. If Hunter were badly wounded, we would get a letter in the mail or a phone call to inform us about what happened. If he had been killed, a CNO or casualty notification officer and chaplain would be on our door stop to tell us that he was dead. I'm sure that Hunter is okay and just busy. It's about 1 am in Iraq right now, he's likely on a mission or sleeping," Salvatore sighed and yawned.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's okay, Aunt Vi," Shane attempted.

"I want to hear that from him," Viola sobbed quietly as Sal continued to rub her back. Caitlyn and Audrey felt the same way Viola did only they controlled their emotions, and it only came off as worry and constant glances towards their phones to hope one of the times it would be Hunter calling. The usual people he would call were Sal, Caitlyn, and Audrey. Probably his mom too now that they were on better terms than before Hunter's leave started. When all of them were together like this, the first phones that Hunter made calls to would sit on the coffee table in hopes one would light up or start ringing.

"You three should get home, I don't think we'll hear from him tonight," Sal suggested to Shane, Fisher, and Travis. However, no sooner than they had gotten up to head to Shane's place, vibrating was heard on the center table. It fell silent as Audrey, Viola, Shane, Caitlyn, and Salvatore moved in to check their phones. "It's Hunter!" Sal announced with joy as he quickly answered the call and put it on speakerphone, then had the others stay quiet even though the excitement was hitting hard. "Hi, son! Thank Thor you're all right; we've been worried," Sal greeted.

" _It's...actually Treyden, not Hunter. Sorry,"_ came Trey's voice on the other end as they felt the worry rise more. Why would Treyden be calling from Hunter's phone?

"Where's Hunter? Is my baby all right? Has he been injured?" Viola asked quickly ignoring her husband's hand signals to relax.

" _Aside from being a stubborn idiot who doesn't know when to take a break, yes, he's okay,"_ said Theo now with a sigh.

" _Zip it, Theo. Hunter didn't ask me to call them so you could inform his family of something they know,"_ Treyden remarked, _"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Haddock, I assure you Hunter isn't injured. Perhaps over tired but otherwise, just fine,"_

"Then why is he having you call us?" Caitlyn inquired.

" _Because he's been too busy to call himself or the signal wouldn't hold long enough. Even tonight, he's not with our platoon. Harry asked him to do something with another platoon so Hunter requested I would try and get a call through for him to let you all know he's okay,"_ Treyden informed softly.

"Can I ask why Theo called him a stubborn idiot?" Audrey tried.

" _Hunter has been up since four this morning when we had to go unpin a group from enemy fire; then we pulled an eight-hour guard from 10 am to 6 pm. Now he's doing a twelve-hour job; he started at 10 pm our time,"_ Treyden said truthfully.

"What was the deal with you all getting called back that night?" Travis attempted to ask.

" _We're...not allowed to discuss the details; I'm only authorized to inform you that it was a level seven mission. Hunter said that you, Mr. Haddock would understand what that meant,"_ Trey stated.

"Aye, that I do. I'll explain it to these guys and girls later. So, Hunter is okay, right? Aside from the over exhaustion?" Sal questioned.

" _Yeah, he just asked if I would call and update you since he hasn't been able to and the signal seems to be stronger with the later it gets here,"_ Trey replied.

"Well, we appreciate it, Treyden. Thank you, we've been so worried about him. Make sure he gets some sleep when he gets back?" Viola said next.

" _Absolutely, ma'am. We'll keep Hunter in his bed until we're sure he's not si-"_ Theo stopped short in his words when a blaring horn sounded loudly bringing everything to a dead halt and Sal already got a concerned feeling in the pit of his stomach.

" _Why would the alarm for enemies spotted go off before we've heard any transmissions on the radio?"_ Andrew asked slowly.

" _Because that wasn't for enemies sighted, Andrew; that alert would have been a high-pitched tone that lasted three seconds. What we just heard was ongoing for a full minute. You know what it means if we hear that particular siren,"_ Treyden reminded.

"I don't understand what's going on. Don't you guys radio into Andersen after it sounds?" Caitlyn inquired.

" _No. That's when enemies are spotted, and all platoon leaders will tune into their company channel for orders to gear up or stay back."_ Treyden informed. _"We have different alarms depending on the situation. The three-second tone you heard was for if the attack is being carried out by a company-sized group of enemies to one of the base lines and the patrol sees them from miles away. Once it's radioed in by the platoon leader on patrol, the commanding officer will alert his or her company to get ready and where to go,"_

"So what do you do when the horn like what we just heard goes off?..." Heather pushed.

"It means that a platoon of soldiers on patrol for their baseline was attacked without warning by a battalion sized group of enemies and pulled the alarm because they need backup immediately. Each battalion base line has a switch to activate the horn. That signal will go to the core leaders at the center hub for operations, and they will alert the officers in the section where the signal came from then order an immediate deployment of the battalion to assist and fight," Sal explained.

" _And we don't do anything until we know which section of Draconia base sounded their alarm. Our platoon leader holds the radio and flips it to the company channel then waits,"_ Andrew added in.

"And the worst part is waiting to find out," Sal sighed. "Usually doesn't take more than five minutes,"

"But Hunter is your platoon leader, and he's not there so who has the radio?" Audrey questioned.

" _I do because I'm Hunter's second in command,"_ Treyden stated.

" _Hey, guys? Did Hunter say what he was doing tonight?"_ Theo questioned now.

" _He's the fill in CO for Conqueror with Asher away on a family emergency,"_ Andrew mentioned.

" _I meant if either of you remembered the job he was doing for twelve hours with them?"_ Theo reiterated.

" _A patrol I think, because we harped on him about taking a second shift after being up since 0400 and him already doing a guard with us,"_ Treyden responded. _"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's on a patrol with Charlie platoon. I just can't remember where it was at,"_

" _Um. I-I could be wrong and for once, I really hope I am. But isn't it...Conqueror platoon's shift on the Dreki base line duty tonight?"_ Andrew said slow with a nervous tone. It was that moment that people in the Haddock House heard the boys go quiet then suddenly the radio gave off a loud static sound.

 _ **=Code Black! I repeat, Plasma Fire has a Code Black! All troops gear up and report the Dreki Battalion base line immediately!=**_ shouter Major Andersen. **_=Hang on, Conqueror! We're on our way,=_**

" _Gear up and get ready to raise hell, Hooligans!"_ Treyden yelled out before the line dropped. The nine people in the Haddock House didn't have words for what they just listened to but it came down to two very important facts. Hunter was in a fight, outnumbered, and in grave danger until back up arrived. Also, they knew that none of them would be getting any sleep tonight.


	24. Rest & Recover

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Rest & Recover

~Hunter's POV~

I didn't know when things got so out of hand on the patrol. Everything had been fine! It was quiet; nothing got sighted on our border lines for the base. That was the job; start at our battalion section exit and moved in smaller groups to check the perimeters and make sure no enemies were trying to launch an ambush on the base directly. Now, there were few and rare instances where no matter how much patrolling was done, an ambush that outnumbered a patrol group could happen. If such was the case, there was always two guards standing by a switch on a post half a mile from the base line.

This switch was the EAH or Emergency Ambush Horn. And the shortest definition for this alarm is that when it's flipped, the entire base will be notified that one of the baseline patrols has been ambushed by enemy forces that outnumber and needs the backup as soon as possible. The hardest part of something like this happening was that no moves could be made until the information was transmitted properly through the right channels. Now I'm stuck here in a fight I couldn't ever expect to win and since I called in the Code Black at 1:30 am, and no one had come yet.

~Normal POV~

Two companies and a platoon total from Dreki Battalion were making their way by air or ground transportation to Conqueror's locations. It was fifteen miles away, the choppers would arrive first, and that's why Harry had his company taking those. Last they heard, Hunter had Conqueror staying as together while doing what they could to fight back against the one hundred and seventy enemy soldiers who had them surrounded with guns, launchers, and grenades.

"Gods, I hope we're not too late," Treyden prayed aloud as Theo and and Andrew nodded to him. "Hunter's too tired fight, we never should have let him go,"

"It's not your fault boys. I shouldn't have asked him to take a second shift but I do wish you would have told me right away that you noticed he could be sick, You're right, he's not in any condition to be fighting an ambush off with sixteen others," Harry sighed and saw Treyden's worried face. "Don't worry, Treyden. We'll make it," he assured.

 **/Flashback; Just Before The Ambush/**

 _~Normal POV~_

 _At 10 pm, Hunter left with Charlie Conqueror to the base exit for Dreki Battalion and the patrol began. Hunter was tired, had a massive headache, and felt sick to his stomach but continued doing his job. Three hours in and things were quiet, Hunter checked in every two hours per protocol and he still had one to go before he radioed again. The group was moving through a small residential town with a few added on Iraqi friendlies who were stationed in that area on patrol as well. Hunter checked his watch, it was 1:27 am and he sighed lightly but then suddenly, something hit the ground in front of them; a grenade._

" _Move! Hit the deck!" Hunter yelled out. Wasting no time, the group spread out and took cover behind something or threw themselves to the ground once farther away. The grenade went off, and a few suffered the smoke inhalation, when the initial blast died down, Hunter looked around to see where everyone was. "Is...everyone all right?" he asked._

" _Yes, First Sergeant Haddock. We're all okay, moved just in time," replied one of the men closest to him. Of course, the relief Hunter felt after that didn't last as soon they were under fire._

" _Take cover, watch each other's backs, stay within a four building radius until I figure out what the hell we're dealing with!" Hunter ordered while the soldiers for Conqueror quickly moved to find cover and try to see where the attack was coming from because it was hidden by the smoke from the grenade. Ten minutes later, Hunter managed to get high enough to see they had been ambushed by enemy forces and were severely outnumbered. "Fuck," he muttered._

 _Hunter didn't know how many they were up against but he was aware that his platoon of nineteen plus himself and the six friendlies weren't going to be enough to fight this. Shots were being fired from all directions, grenades were getting dangerously close to hitting their cover spots, and if any RPG's struck, they were fucked. Hunter got the walkie-talkie from one of the pockets on his vest after moving back when a bullet shot past the door frame he was standing near. =Code Black! I repeat, Code Black!=_

 _Black meant that base line patrol was ambushed by enemy forces that reached one hundred and fifty or more. Code Black wasn't used over the first radio as there would be far too much confusion and so it was only alerted between the platoon leader on patrol and the guards at the EAH post. Everyone knew when there was a Black code; it was the only code that authorized the EAH alarm to be set off and when it sounded, everyone would be on alert and wait for orders._

 _Hunter carried two ways of communication with him; one was the main radio that changed channels to allow him to talk to his platoon, the company, and the Dreki Battalion officer, Lieutenant Colonel Corey Sullivan. However, there was also one set of walkie-talkies for each platoon because they were only used by the group on baseline patrol. The leader carried one, the guards standing at the EAH post took the other._

 _(EAH Post; Dreki Battalion)_

 _ **=Code Black! I repeat, Code Black!=**_

 _As soon as the two soldiers on guard heard that on the walkie-talkie, one of them unlocked the clear bullet proof case with the key from around his vest then pressed a big red button. A second later the horn was heard blaring through the Draconia base since the post was only half a mile from the Dreki section's exit/entrance._

 _(Dreki Battalion Office)_

 _Harry was racing down the stairs of the battalion office ten minutes after the horn sounded when he was radioed by Corey Sullivan along with the other seven company leaders that made up Dreki Battalion. Reaching the conference room he was told to come to, Harry found himself to be the last one there. "My...apologies, Lieutenant Colonel," Harry panted a bit._

" _All company leaders for Dreki present, Major General Malone," Corey said after taking the phone off mute. The Division leader was Oliver Malone, a rank of Major General. For things like this, they used a conference call to connect the base leaders to the battalion where the signal came derived._

" ** _Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan, the signal came from the Dreki post. Who is on your baseline patrol this evening?"_** _questioned Oliver._

 _Corey looked at the seven company leaders standing before him, and Harry stepped forward. "It's the Conqueror platoon for Plasma Fire,"_

" _I thought you said Lieutenant Holgerson had left for a personal matter. Is he not the leader for Conqueror?" asked Corey while arching a brow._

" _Holgerson is away; I asked one of my other platoon leaders to fill in since their platoon already did a shift. Haddock is commanding Conqueror in Asher's place," Harry explained._

" ** _Haddock? Isn't he the seventeen-year-old boy on Hooligan platoon that we sent on the level seven?"_** _Oliver mentioned._

" _That is correct, Major General," Harry replied. They were wasting time! Conqueror was in trouble, that meant Hunter was too and the lad hadn't taken part in any code black ambushes thus far. "All do your respect, sir. First Sergeant Haddock has never been in an ambush of this level. There are nineteen soldiers who have been in that mess for half an hour. I'm getting Plasma Fire ready to fight" Harry said quickly before he grabbed his radio and turned it to the company channel. =Code Black! I repeat, Plasma Fire has a Code Black. All troops gear up and report to the Dreki Battalion baseline!= he ordered._

 **/End Flashback/**

Twenty-five minutes of flying and they were able to see the fires and smoke, the sounds of the weapons were heard too. There were three choppers holding soldiers. Striker One and Two used two of them, then one squad from Sunflare used the third. The medical helicopter stayed back and landed outside of the fight range. The rest of the soldiers would be coming by ground vehicles. It was almost an hour later since the ambus started and they hoped that everyone was still okay.

"You four go find Conqueror and make sure their all right. The rest of us will offer cover from up here until the other groups arrive!" Harry yelled over the engine and whirling blades to Theo, Trey, and Andrew.

"Got it. Give us Hayes, Radco, and Manning for ground spotters," Trey replied as Harry nodded and the chopper got lower to let them out, when they were down, it returned to the sky to strike any enemies with their guns from the helicopter. The seven on the ground from Striker One moved together, fighting or taking out any enemies they saw for twenty minutes.

"We don't know where they are taking cover," Zander reminded.

Trey held up Hunter's phone and sent a walkie signal to the number that Hunter used earlier from the other phone. Within a minute, there was a return signal. =Hunt! We're here,= Trey asked.

 ** _=By the post office. Sending coordinates,=_** Hunter informed. The seven looked around while still keeping an eye for enemies.

=Got it. We'll be there soon, hang in there, Hunt,= Trey tried.

 ** _=Just hur-=_** Hunter's voice cut after someone screamed and a gun was heard.

=Hunter?= No answer. =Does anyone hear me?! What happened over there?!= Treyden asked. Nothing still. Moving as fast as they could and following Hunter's directions, they made it to the post office to see the fight that had broken out, but Conqueror was giving it right back to the enemies; having already defeated fifteen alone and still going against fifteen more in hand combat. Theo pointed out the newer soldiers coming in from up higher to make sniper shots, so they now had to step in.

"Nik, radio Andersen. Zander, Conner, take out the high contact soldiers and the three of us will handle down here," Treyden ordered. With an affirmative nod, it began. After fifteen minutes, Harry arrived with the rest of Striker One and Two to help out. With those thirteen assisting, they were able to push back the thirty-seven Iraqi soldiers into a retreat by 4:20 am.

"Good work, Hooligan, and Conqueror teams! Sunflare and Boomspark are working on the rest, we'll be joining them shortly after I make sure everyone is okay here," Harry praised the two platoons from his company, proud that Conqueror was able to hold their own for so long even against the odds. "And Haddock, when we get back; you and I are going to have a serious conversation about you not telling people when you're sick," he added to the group. However, there was no response.

Looking around at one another, no one saw Hunter, and that raised concern. "Haddock?" Andrew called out louder. Nothing again.

"Where is First Sergeant Haddock?" Harry asked while glancing over Conqueror.

"He was...right here with us when the attack started while he talked to Treyden," stated one of the girls.

"Spread out and look for him, he could be hurt and unconscious," Harry ordered quickly. Ten minutes went by, and there was no sign of Hunter, but Theo was able to find the phone he'd been using.

"Found the phone he was contacting us with! Over here," Theo told them. While making their way over, Treyden was the one to see something coming at them and let the others know. As it neared, the group could see that it was two figures. Finally, in full view, it was revealed to be Hunter with his arms bound by rope in front of him and held by an enemy.

"Haddock, are you okay!" Andrew asked.

"For now," Hunter replied as the soldier jammed the barrel into his back more. Hunter wasn't though, and they could see that easily. Hunter's headgear was gone, so was his vest, gloves, outercoat and handgun holster. Hunter was only in a gray undershirt, his dog tags, boots, belt, and ACU pants. There were some cuts on his face, a bloody lip, and blood dripping down the side of his head too. The Archi soldiers could tell that the enemies had Hunter since the fight broke out because he'd been beat on now being used as a hostage.

"What does he want for you to go free?" Harry stepped forward.

"You all have to toss your weapons, call off the counter strike from the other teams and let them finish off this neighborhood as it's filled with soldiers who betrayed them and work for us," Hunter responded. "And turn over the six friendlies we have," he added

"All right. Let him know I'm just reaching for my ra-" Harry stopped when Hunter shook his head.

"No, you toss your weapons first, and he'll get the radio for me to call it off," Hunter said sternly while using his fingers to make the symbol for gun against a palm and Treyden understood. This enemy had a gun to Hunter's back, and if the didn't do as they were instructed, he would kill Hunter. Trey took off his automatic rifle, then removed his handgun and dagger before tossing them to the side. Andrew and Theo caught the hint too, so they did the same. Soon, the rest followed suit as the soldier motioned for Harry to come forward.

Harry moved ahead with his hands up and close enough for Hunter to get the radio from Harry's belt. "Espere a que la señal, a continuación, correr a los helicópteros y obtener en el aire. Si no estoy fuera en cinco minutos; Abortar la misión y salir. No esperes y no vuelvas por mí, pase lo que pase. Simplemente dile a mi familia que lo siento y que los amo siempre," Hunter whispered in spanish while the enemy was preoccupied on his own radio talk. **(A/N; Don't worry! This gets translated little lower down!)**

Harry didn't say anything, Hunter took the radio from Harry and gave him a nudge in the back to start walking, when he reached the group, all of them just stared at Hunter with worry. Harry understood what Hunter had said and wouldn't not do as he asked. The enemy moved the gun to Hunter's head as everyone tensed up. The man said something to Hunter who started lifting the radio up while Harry watched for whatever signal Hunter was talking about. Suddenly, Hunter's eyes narrowed as he adjusted his arms and elbowed the enemy in the chest, then slammed the bottom of the radio in an uppercut fashion to the male's throat hard enough to make him gasp for air and drop his gun. Hunter threw the radio back towards Harry just as eight more enemies made themselves visible and held grenades in hand.

Harry grabbed the radio, and the grenades were being thrown at them, so they were forced a step back or kick them away, Harry saw the look in Hunter's eyes and understood. "Back to the choppers, all of you!" Harry ordered while moving quickly to avoid the grenades which started going off a little too close to Hunter.

"What about Hunter?!" Treyden argued, Harry paused only a moment then closed his eyes.

"He'll catch up, let's go! Hunter is giving us a chance to escape; he already told me so move it! That's an order," Harry commanded firmly. No longer having a choice, they ran leaving Hunter to deal with grenades and enemy soldiers alone while utterly defenseless. Reaching the choppers, Harry checked his watch, two minutes left before he made the call to abort.

"Explain, now...What did Hunter tell you?" Theo panted when they were on the choppers and ready to go in the air, Harry was just watching the time.

"Wait for the signal then run to the choppers and get in the air. If I'm not out in five minutes; abort the mission and leave. Do not wait and do not come back for me, no matter what. Just tell my family that I'm sorry and love them always. Hunter knew it was another trap set to ambush all of us, so he attacked his captor to make the others reveal themselves and let us escape," Harry said slowly.

"Y-You mean that he's willing to sacrifice himself so we can get back without being attacked?" Amber asked. Harry nodded to them looking at his watch once more. Five minutes came to an end as Harry lifted his radio.

=Hooligan and Conqueror to Sunflare and Boomspark, all units retreat. Return to the base,= Harry ordered.

 _ **=Roger that, Hooligan and Conqueror. Boomspark is retreating,=**_

 _ **=Sunflare copies those orders,=**_

As the chopper holding Striker One peered at the place they were minutes ago, all they could see was smoke rising over the buildings. Flashes could be seen within, this signified gunshots being fired. The group sat there in silence, a prolonged sense of sadness among them. Hunter...was gone. He sacrificed his life to save them, all of them. Hunter died a hero saving three hundred and eight people from being killed by the attack these enemies were going to set off. The Amil District was getting farther away with the high the chopper got to turn around and return to Draconia base, they couldn't believe they were leaving Hunter behind. And what of his family, this was going to crush them. In this moment, they all closed their eyes for a silence to honor their fallen comrade and friend.

However, the moment was short-lived when the gunfire seemed to get closer. Treyden opened his eyes first to look as he saw three enemies chasing and shooting at another figure who was running from them. Treyden grabbed his binoculars and zoned in on who was running. It was Hunter!

"Holy Odin's fucking ghost, I don't believe it..." Treyden found a smile.

"What is it, Treyden?" Harry asked.

"It's Hunter! Down there, we gotta go back for him!" Trey exclaimed. Harry confirmed it was Hunter himself and ordered the pilots to slow down and turn back. While they did this, Theo and Andrew hooked up the rope ladder and lowered it down. Treyden made his way down and hung there until they were right over Hunter. "Hey, need a lift?" Hunter looked up to see Treyden offering a hand to him, Hunter reached his up, and the two gripped one another tightly as Trey pulled him up onto the ladder.

Hunter panted hard with a smile still, "I...owe...you,"

"Thank me later, come on. Let's get the hell out of here," Treyden began making his way up and finally into the helicopter. Hunter wasn't far behind until a bullet shot past his arm causing him hiss in pain, start bleeding. "Hunter!?" he said quickly. Hunter cringed in pain from where he got hit, the bullet didn't imbed in him, but it tore him open and was going to need to be stitched for sure. Fighting through it, Hunter continued to climb then he felt something pierce his arm. Hunter's eyes opened wide as there was no audible sound coming out of his mouth but it could be easily insinuated that he was in a lot of pain. Hunter lost the feeling in his arm as it let go of the rope.

Instinctively, Treyden leaned over the edge of the helicopter and grabbed Hunter's good arm by the wrist. "We gotta help," Andrew said as he moved down the rope a bit and hooked his arm around Hunter's back and brought him closer to the top so he wouldn't fall. Andrew was able to see his arm now, and he gasped. "He's been shot in the arm! No exit wound and bleeding," he called up.

"Get him up here," Harry ordered. Between Andrew and Treyden working together, Hunter was brought in the chopper and laid placed on his side where Theo was already working on getting the shirt out of the way so they could see better.

"Bullet from a handgun for sure, rifle ammo would have gone straight through him with how lean-figured he is. From what I can see now, it looks like a superficial wound and probably didn't hit anything vital. There isn't too much blood but still need to keep the pressure on it until we get back so the bullet can be taken out and the wound treated properly," Theo informed Harry. Andrew got a few rags and what not for them to stop the bleeding with some pressure or at least that was the hope. Harry helped out in doing what they could to ease the pain by giving him a shot of Ketamine, a drug used to numb pain much as Morphine did.

Harry was checking other things such as breathing, and if there were other injuries, they couldn't see at the moment. Harry noticed Hunter felt a little warm, but he had been running so perhaps too soon to check if he was sick. "Come on, Hunt. Stay with us now; everything is gonna be okay," Treyden told Hunter who was slipping in and out on consciousness. "Did I tell you I got through to your family at 1 am? They're...so relieved you're okay so...don't you go makin' a liar out of me by dying," he tried to laugh a little.

"We-Were th..ey ma-mad I...hav..en't ca-call...ed?" Hunter panted in whispered breaths. The wound wasn't life-threatening but being grazed, then shot, on top of all the running, lack of sleep, and probably being sick had a role to play in this.

"No, no. Not at all. Theo and Trey will confirm that too. Everyone just wanted to make sure you were all right since we had been called back a day early. I told them you'd call soon and with all this now, you'll have some free time from work. Right, Major?" Trey mentioned.

"Oh, absolutely! Yes, you're gonna get a good two or three weeks with stitches, wrapped, and in a sling! You'll have plenty of time to make calls home if you can get through," Harry replied now seeing that Treyden was trying to keep Hunter awake until they got to the base which was still a twenty-minute flight.

"You just...stay awake and take it easy. We'll be back soon," Treyden smiled. Hunter managed one back and that's how it was for the flight.

(Draconia Base)

After they returned; Trey, Theo, Andrew, and Conner carried Hunter to the infirmary, the combat support hospital wouldn't be needed for the wound care as the medic informed after she checked Hunter's arm. Harry went off to tell Corey, Kyle, and Oliver what happened. After everything was said and done, the time was 7:30 am and everyone was exhausted. The medic informed Harry and Trey that Hunter was going to be okay, as expected his heal time would be around four weeks in a sling. Stitches could come out during week two, then wrapped in the sling for the third week and the last week would be just working the arm to get it used to moving again. Also, she mentioned that he was feeling a bit warm and discovered he had a temperature so she gave him something for that and now he was fast asleep.

Harry and Trey said it was okay because Hunter needed it. The two of them returned to their respected areas and got to sleep themselves around 8 am. Everything was good at the moment, and that was one of Hunter's last thoughts before he'd drifted to sleep, he felt a lot better about rest and recovery knowing everyone he cared about was safe.


	25. Positive Sign

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Positive Sign

The Haddock's and Audrey were worried, scared, nervous, and unable to think about much else besides wondering if Hunter was all right. The last time they heard anything about him had been a week ago when Treyden called to let them know Hunter was all right but hadn't any time to call them since they arrived back in Iraq. However, things changed when the room was able to hear the EAH sound and then shortly after, Treyden, Theo, and Andrew were rushing off when Harry told them it was a Code Black and to gear up and get to the baseline to save Conqueror. The platoon that Hunter was filling in as commanding officer of while Asher had personal matters to attend.

Sal went more in depth on how some of the things works since at the time, the people in the living room that night didn't understand the color code and other things that just took place. It had been 11:30 pm when the call with Treyden ended, and sure enough, the Haddock family and any of the sleepover guests didn't get a lick of sleep. The same went for Shane and the boys sleeping over his house as they went home after the call was finished. Sal had explained that there were different color codes, and each represented a different situation, but black meant there was an ambush of enemies that outnumbered the patrol group and they were in serious trouble if the backup didn't get there fast.

 **/Flashback/**

 _The call ended moments ago as the group of nine sat in silence and worry. Hunter was the fill in leader for the Conqueror platoon, and that group of soldiers had just been ambushed by Iraqi soldiers and called in a Code Black. Treyden, Theo, and Andrew had been the ones to realize that Hunter and Conqueror platoon were the ones on the baseline patrol this evening and not even a minute later, Harry had informed them to get ready._

" _Sal," Viola choked up a bit. "Hunter...will be all right, won't he?"_

" _I-I don't know, Vi. You heard what was said about ambushes; it means the platoon is being attacked by a number of one fifty or more," Sal admitted to her which didn't ease her fears any._

" _What's...Code Black?" Travis asked._

" _Code Black is what gets told to the two guards who stand at the EAH post. EAH stands for Emergency Ambush Horn, and that's the sound you heard over the phone. That horn will sound for a minute and alert the entire base that one of the platoons on patrol has been ambushed and needs a backup as soon as possible," Sal informed._

" _But what was all that other stuff the guys were talking about with base leaders, battalion section, and what not?" Fisher inquired._

" _You remember that Camp Draconia is a Division? Ten to fifteen thousand soldiers in one place and then there are Brigades; this is a group broken down by the Division containing two to four thousand in each. Now, Hunter stays in a section of the base in the Dreki Battalion, three to eight hundred soldiers will make that up. Each battalion baseline of Draconia has an EAH post a half-mile out where two guards from the platoon on patrol will stand ready to sound the alarm if the leader of the platoon calls in Code Black. This is something that does not get put through the primary radio as it would be too confusing as to what battalion the call comes from, everyone would panic trying to send out troops to help," Sal explained._

" _So how do they get the message through to cut back the confusion? How long does it take for them to send help?" Heather questioned._

" _In this case, Hunter and the two guards will use military range walkie-talkies. Hunter will tell them; they'll sound the alarm. When the button is pushed, it sends a signal to the operations building where the Division and Brigade leaders wait to find out which battalion activated the alert. From there, the battalion leader will call the company leaders and see which platoon had patrol. And then they have to spend time trying to contact the platoon leader to find out the number of enemies, weapons being used, location, if anyone has been hurt, if it's residential. There's a lot that goes into sending soldiers to push back an ambush and then pulling out the ones who are in trouble," Sal continued._

" _You mean to say that Hunter could be out there on his own until the leaders decide how to handle things!?" Viola said quickly. "This is why I don't like him in the army, Salvatore. Hunter is...only seventeen years old. The more experienced soldiers should be on patrol!" she added._

" _Enough, Vi. Hunter will be all right, maybe a little banged up but fine otherwise. The leaders wouldn't send out a group that couldn't handle it. And it only takes so long because the horn alerts the whole base and then they have to narrow it down to find out which platoon needs help. It's not up to the division or brigade leaders to know every group that goes out and on what shift. It works on a system, one that keeps everyone as safe as possible," Sal told her._

" _Is Code Black the only one that signals to sound the horn?" Renee inquired now._

" _Yes, also the only one transmitted by walkie-talkie. Any other situation can be put through the primary radio on the company channel. The radios are programmed accordingly by battalion, and then the battalion officers use a phone to have contact with the central building of operations. The radios used in the battalion are given to leaders of groups; as an example for Hunter's. He has one radio with different channels that connect him to others. The radio is programmed to contact either his company leader, the company itself as one and the individual platoon leaders," Salvatore enlightened._

" _And assumingly then, Harry's radio as an example, has another channel to contact the company leaders that make up Dreki Battalion and he can communicate with the battalion leader too?" Caitlyn asked, and Salvatore nodded to her. "And we can't get updated on this until Hunter calls?"_

" _Correct. I also doubt we'll hear anything tonight as it's nearing two in the morning for them and by the time they get back, I assume they'll want some sleep," Sal stated._

 **/End Flashback/**

It had been a week since then, and no word from anyone about the situation but on the brighter side that kept them from panicking was that no officers were showing up at their door so they knew Hunter was alive and probably busy. Sal mentioned that a lot went into the situation even after the soldiers returned to the base. Hunter would have to talk to endless amounts of people about what happened; injuries had to be tended, reports, a more detailed position of where they were. All that plus the fact there were still duties to carry out for missions, guards, and patrols. Viola didn't like hearing that; knowing Hunter could have come out of a bad situation and thrown right back into the same thing that started the first one.

Today was November 3rd, a Friday in the year 2017. The time was 3:40 pm and Audrey was over at the Haddock's to finish a project with Caitlyn that was due on Monday the 6th for their World History class. Salvatore was helping out as it had to do with past wars and how times have changed in the military, showing differences from then to now. Viola was home early too for a change. Audrey and Caitlyn were on the living room floor making sure they had everything to start gluing onto the poster board. Out of the blue, the house phone started ringing, and instantly their eyes trailed to it while praying it was Hunter. Sal lifted it from the base and pressed 'talk' then 'speakerphone.'

"Hello?" Salvatore answered calmly.

" _Hello. I hope you're able to hear me all right?"_ said the phone that they didn't recognize.

"I can. May I ask who is calling?" Sal inquired.

" _Right, yes. My apologies. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Corey Sullivan, the Dreki Battalion leader. How are you this afternoon?"_ the man now known as Corey asked. The room grew a little tense, why would Hunter's battalion leader be calling them.

"I'm well, Lieutenant Colonel. How are you?" Sal asked now trying to stay calm and respectful.

" _You can call me Corey, and I suppose I'm doing all right as well. Now, I'm sure you'd like to know why I'm calling?"_ Corey questioned.

"Does it have to do my baby?!" Viola asked quickly.

"Vi, please settle down. I'm sorry, Corey. My wife is worried because we haven't heard from our son in a week. Is this call about Hunter?" Salvatore said calmer.

" _It is. We were informed by three of your son's friends that you were on the phone with them last week and heard the horn sound and I know that you, Mr. Haddock, as a former military man yourself are aware what that horn means when it goes off. I'm calling to let you know that your son was wounded in that attack,"_ Corey stated.

"How wounded?" Sal questioned trying not to panic without knowing the details first.

" _I'll let his company leader explain as he was there for it,"_ Corey said, and then the phone was handed off.

" _Hello again, Salvatore. It's Harry, Plasma Fire's commanding officer. Hunter was wounded early last Sunday morning having been shot in the right arm while escaping enemy territory. I assure you he is doing fine though. The wound wasn't deep and not so severe that he need to be taken to a support hospital, the battalion infirmary was enough. The bullet was removed, Hunter's arm is stitched, wrapped, and will be in a sling for the next three weeks depending on how well it heals. And I apologize for the late call that he got hurt, it had been a very long night, and you know much goes into getting these situations on file,"_ Harry explained.

"Of course, Harry. We're just glad he's okay. Can we talk to him by any chance?" Sal tried in a hopeful tone.

" _At the moment, Hunter is still in the infirmary but will be released before dinner and free to return to his barrack, and I already told him that he could come to the battalion office to call home,"_ Harry replied.

"Why is he still in medical if the wound wasn't bad?" Viola asked while attempting to stay calm.

" _When he was being treated for his arm, the medic also said that he had a fever and looked a bit pale, so he was going to keep Hunter in the infirmary for a few days to watch that and the recovery,"_ Harry told them.

"That's...somewhat of a relief. I don't suppose you can tell us more about the attack?" Sal pushed.

" _Unfortunately, no, I can't. I just wanted you to be aware that Hunter was wounded, but he's recovering fine and will be able to call you tonight, it will likely be after dinner here around 5:30 pm your time. I have to go, for now, few things to sort out with the other company leaders. Have a good night, bye!"_ Harry stated, and then the call ended as Sal sighed and put the phone on the base.

"At least we know he's okay and get to hear from him tonight," Audrey mentioned.

"That is true, Audrey," Salvatore nodded. So, Hunter was wounded from the ambush and sick too, but at least he was okay and knew they would get to hear from him tonight. That was something to look forward to!

(Dreki Battalion Office; 7:30 pm)

Hunter got released from the medical barrack at 6:30 pm after his stitches were checked out and the wound dressing rewrapped with some cream to keep it from getting infected, ease some of the pain, and help it heal up faster. Hunter's arm was in a black sling, the strap going across his left shoulder and a little padded for comfort. Hunter was told to try and not use his right arm a lot for the next week, and then they'd move on to taking the arm out for a few hours a day to get back some mobility and then the last week he could have it out while taking it easy. After leaving there, Hunter went to dinner and ate a little bit, but his stomach was still bothering him.

Evidently, though he had felt sick the worst of it had hit over the last two days, and even tonight he was still feeling pretty crappy, but at least his fever broke and could keep down water and crackers. Hopefully tomorrow he would be completely better with his energy back. The highlight of tonight for Hunter was that Harry was letting him in the battalion office for a chance at better wifi reception so Hunter could call home to his family, and with it now after dinner, that's where he is. Harry met him outside with a smile.

"Come on in, lad. Corey said you could use one of the empty office spaces. It's got a desk, outlets, chair, and good lighting. You bring your laptop?" Harry asked.

"Yes sir," Hunter replied showing that it was under his left arm. Harry nodded and led Hunter inside and to the room on the main level, there were two. The first floor was the conference and office rooms; the second floor was the bedrooms for the company leaders and battalion officer. Once in the room, Hunter placed his laptop down on the desk carefully then plugged it in as Harry opened it for him.

"If you need anything, radio me," Harry said.

"I will, thanks, Major," Hunter smiled as Harry left and closed the door. Hunter sat down and brought up Skype, oh yes, the speed and connection were much faster in this building! As soon as it was up, Hunter clicked on his father's name then hit call to wait for a pickup. By three in, it connected and took a minute to load.

" _Hunter!"_ is how he was greeted by several voices. When the screen finally caught up and showed Hunter his family's side of things, Hunter could see his mom, dad, sister, girlfriend, and cousin.

"Hi everyone," Hunter smiled. "Can you see me okay?"

" _Yeah, it's perfect babe. Hardly any lag at all,"_ Audrey replied with a broad smile.

"Guess the reception in here is a lot better. Making a mental note to call while closer to this building," Hunter stated to himself. "How are you all?"

" _We're great, son. So glad to see you're...mostly all right,"_ Viola cooed while remembering what Hunter asked of her, to fake it convincingly.

"I'll be okay. Three more weeks and completely healed," Hunter replied to her. "I take it you want to know what happened?"

" _Of course, but don't get in trouble if you're not allowed to,"_ Salvatore smiled.

"Eh. Conqueror got ambushed by a hundred and seventy enemy soldiers, we took cover, and I called to the Dreki post to sound the alarm. Then we just rode it out, fighting or firing back if we could. I got shot going up the chopper ladder, Andrew and Trey pulled me up until we reached the base. I've been in medical since." Hunter shrugged then cringed from the pain in his shoulder.

" _We're happy you're okay and able to talk to us. Was terrifying to hear everything that happened when Trey called us last week,"_ Caitlyn mentioned.

Hunter blinked a few times; they knew he was in an ambush? _"You don't know that Treyden was on the phone with us when you called in Code Black?"_ Sal asked, and Hunter shook his head. _"Trey told us about the level seven mission, well, that it was that level and I understood it couldn't be discussed. After that, they started on saying you were working a twelve-hour with Conqueror after working an eight-hour with them and being up at 4 am to do a mission,"_

 _"Then we heard the horn and Trey got off with us right after Harry told Plasma Fire they had a Code Black,"_ Audrey added.

"Jeeze. I'm sorry guys; I know that probably scared the life out of you..." Hunter sighed.

 _"None of us slept that night and have been worried since,"_ Shane informed.

 _"But you're okay, and that's all that matters, son,"_ Viola interjected now. _"How are you feeling? Harry called earlier to let us know you'd been hurt, recovering, and sick all week,"_

"Aside from the arm in pain, I guess I'm feeling a little better. Honestly, when I went in for medical Sunday morning, I didn't even feel sick given how much my arm was bothering me. All the antibiotics and pain killers for two days kept me from doing anything but sleeping. The sickness kicked in two days ago at full force, but the fever broke today, and I've got some of my energy back, so I think that's a good sign," Hunter informed.

 _"It is, baby. We miss you so much,"_ Audrey said.

"I miss you all too," Hunter smiled gently. For the next forty-five minutes, they just talked. Hunter enjoyed every moment of the Skype not glitching out, it was a strong signal with a clear picture, and both sides could hear one another perfectly. However, it didn't last when Hunter started feeling sick to his stomach again, and he tried not to let it bother him, but Hunter ended up puking in the trash bin by the desk. Also, it happened to take place the time Harry was coming in to check on him, so it was decided that Hunter needed to get some more rest. Audrey and the family said goodbye as Hunter managed a small smile and wave before Harry closed the computer and took Hunter to the barrack so he could sleep.

(Berkton; November 20th, 2017)

Two weeks had passed since that day. Audrey and Hunter had been able to talk using Skype instant message e-mail since Hunter was still recovering but mentioned the healing was doing better than expected, and the medic might let him back on duty early if things looked okay today. That had been discussed on Thursday, and thus far, Audrey hadn't heard from Hunter since. It was Monday, the 20th of November so Audrey had school but lately hadn't been feeling so good. At first, she thought it was nothing when she got sick during lunch hour five weeks ago, but now it seemed she was getting sick at different times, but it was random.

Puking hadn't been something to take place, but Audrey got spurts of nausea where she needed some water to have it pass. Something else she picked up on was that her breasts were sore and possibly a little bigger, her hips were for sure. Audrey had a hard time wearing some of her tight jeans. Also, one other thing; Audrey was starting to dislike foods that she used to love. She didn't understand any of it, but now it was getting worse because, for the last week, that nausea turned into throwing up at school. Today, Audrey was at lunch with her friends and felt utterly exhausted even though she'd gone to bed at 10 pm.

"Audrey? Maybe you should go to the nurse, girl," Renee suggested.

"Yeah, you look horrible," Caitlyn added.

Heather felt Audrey's cheek and forehead. "And you're warm too. What's with you? Getting sick or something?" she asked.

"I must be. I feel terrible," Audrey mentioned.

"What are your symptoms?" Renee questioned.

"A headache, nausea, exhaustions, little cramping here and there, and my boobs are sore," Audrey listed off with a drawn out sigh.

"It sounds like your period honestly and possibly you stressing out or missing Hunter; You mentioned this morning that you haven't heard from him in five days," Caitlyn offered. Audrey didn't reply right away, something that Caitlyn had said made Audrey stop and think about her period. It was due two weeks ago, and she never got it, she chalked that up to stress and missing Hunter because they hadn't heard from him in a while, then learned it was because he was injured and sick. But now Audrey was trying to remember if she had gotten her period in October, she was due for that a few days after Hunter returned to Iraq and now she couldn't remember if she got it or not.

Audrey decided not to say anything and just smile with a nod to Hunter's little sister about what she said. Audrey would have to wait out the day and check her calendar at home; she marked the days she got her period. Why did this worry her so much? Audrey now worried that all her symptoms might be due to pregnancy. Audrey had been lying to Hunter about being on birth control since the first time they ever had sex when Hunter got home from AIT in September 2016. Audrey and Hunter wanted to do it, they wanted to have sex and Audrey knew he would say no that night if she told him she didn't have birth control, so she lied and said it was one of the IUD's that lasted a few years. It was wrong of her, and she knew that but had every intention of getting on it at her next doctor's appointment in December 2016 but then Hunter got deployed after Thanksgiving, and she figured it didn't matter at that point since he wasn't home.

(Hofferson Household)

Getting home, Audrey rushed right to her room and dropped her backpack on the floor while she moved to her calendar on the wall and turned the page back to September and looked for when she got her period then. On the 11th, a week before Hunter came home on leave. Audrey flipped to October and scanned her finger over the day to the 6th when Hunter left.

"Okay, he left here but four weeks from September's period would mean I should have gotten mine in October on the 9th," Audrey whispered to herself and checked that date. No marking about her period which made her worry more. Audrey checked the whole month of October and saw nothing about getting her little monthly visitor. Audrey bit her bottom lip and looked over November, the month she was in now and still saw no mark about getting it. This was bad, that meant she missed her period two months in a row after Hunter had been home and they had been having sex that entire two weeks. Hunter was using a condom, but Audrey had nothing so if the condom failed then she had nothing to protect her from getting pregnant which she could very well be right now.

Audrey didn't know what to do. Did she call Hunter? Did she tell her parents that she and Hunter had been having sex for a year with her not using birth control and now she missed her period for two months? Audrey was scared but decided after taking a few deep breaths that she shouldn't freak out until she knew for sure. Audrey grabbed her wallet and checked to see how much money she had. Seeing there was at least $30 left, Audrey grabbed her house keys and hurried out and down the street to the corner store where she could pick up a pregnancy test and take it before her parents got home at 4:30 pm.

(Twenty Minutes Later)

The walk sucked because of how cold it was, but Audrey made it to the store, grabbed the test, and hurried home as fast as she could against the crisp winter winds of November on Archi Island. Getting through the front door, Audrey went straight to the bathroom to take the pregnancy test. After reading over the instructions, Audrey took a deep breath and just went for it. Audrey capped the test and set it on the sink to wait the three minutes while she cleaned up and then paced nervously. When the time had passed, Audrey picked up the test and looked down at where the result would be; all she saw was a big blue positive sign.


	26. Only Choice

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Only Choice

~Audrey's POV~

I felt as though time had stopped while I stared down at the pregnancy test in my hands. Staring me in the face was a blue positive sign which I already knew meant; pregnant. Oh, Gods! I'm pregnant and with mine and Hunter's baby! What the hell am I going to do? Hunter is currently deployed in Iraq, and I haven't heard from in a week. I had been hoping it was stress or a medical reason why my period had suddenly stopped in October but finding out I'm pregnant? I wasn't prepared for that news at all. I had to tell Hunter, right? This was his baby too and had the right to know; we had to talk about this. Everyone knows we were having sex so it's not like anyone would think we were going behind their backs or lying to them about what we have done.

Except for me of course, I was lying to Hunter about being on birth control. I had told him I was that first time because we were so caught up in the passion and pleasure, neither of us wanting to stop. I never meant for it to go on so long that I didn't have protection for myself but when Hunter got deployed, we obviously weren't going to be having sex for a while. When Hunter came home for leave, it was sudden, and he was dealing with the loss of two good friends. If I had revealed I didn't have birth control, he probably would have left me for lying to him or spent his leave being mad at me.

I'm sure Hunter is aware that pregnancy can happen even with all the protection in the world when two people engaged in sexual intercourse. So what? I tell Hunter I'm pregnant and we figure things out? How to have this baby with Hunter deployed? Or would I give birth after the tour ends? Gods, I couldn't call Hunter right now and tell him all this. Hunter would have so many questions about how it happened, when, how far along was I? No, I couldn't call Hunter yet. I needed to get myself together and go to a doctor. I would call him after I got all the information about the pregnancy, I knew with him in Iraq that we wouldn't have much time to talk, so it was best to make sure I had everything I needed to tell him.

The first thing I needed to do was call my doctor and then figure out my next step. Everything was going to be okay; I was sure of it. Hunter and I always said we'd have a family and I suppose it was just going to happen a little earlier than expected. Hunter and I would make things work. We would have the life we had always talked about. Yes, it would all work out, and we would be happy together, married with our child.

(Friday Afternoon; 3:15 pm)

It wasn't easy, but I managed to call my doctor on Wednesday afternoon after school. I couldn't do it on Tuesday because my parents were home by the time I got off the bus, so I had to wait until they weren't home. I put off my homework and called my physician's office, spoke to the receptionist who was able to get me an appointment for today so now I was sitting in the waiting room to be called. I was nervous and couldn't lie about that.

Suddenly, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check the ID. It was Hunter! Oh, my Gods, he was calling me on Skype!? I couldn't ignore him; it had been almost ten days since I had heard from him. I took a breath and answered the call calmly.

"Hi babe," I greeted gently with a smile.

" _Hey, beautiful. Hope I'm not interrupting you doing your homework?"_ Hunter said with a return smile.

"No, not at all. I'm not at home anyway, I'm at the doctor's office," I admitted, and as I expected, his face turned to a concerned frown.

" _Why are you there? Are you okay?"_ Hunter inquired.

"I've just...been feeling a little sick the last few days so I thought I'd make an appointment and get seen," I told him.

" _Awe baby girl, I'm sorry. I've been trying to call for a few days, but we had some severe storms, and the signal is terrible,"_ Hunter informed softly.

"It's okay, Hunter. At least you'll be home soon, and we won't need to worry about the crappy signal between Archi Island and Iraq," I laughed a little. "How's your arm doing?"

" _It's great, I had the sling removed two days ago, and I'm back to doing missions. I have one tonight at 8 pm my time, so I won't be able to call later and thought I'd talk while I could,"_ Hunter replied.

"8 pm for you is 6 for us, right? Want me to let your family know?" I questioned.

" _Yep, you got it, Milady. Oh, and yeah, if you could tell them, I would appreciate it. So what's been making you sick, symptom wise?"_ Of course, how did I think my boyfriend wouldn't ask how I was feeling.

"Headaches, nausea, fatigue. It's probably just a bug, Love. A few others have had it in school already," I assured him.

"Audrey Hofferson for Dr. Ella Sparks?" called the nurse.

"Oh, right here!" I stood up quickly. "Um, I gotta go in, for now, babe. Can you...call back in maybe an hour or so?" I asked him while making my way towards the nurse to go back with her.

" _I'll try gorgeous. If I'm not able too, send me an e-mail and let me know how you make out. I love you,"_ Hunter chirped.

"I will. I love you too," After that, the call ended, and I put my phone away back into my pocket while following the nurse to where the patient rooms were.

"I'm Dr. Spark's new assistant. My name is Joslyn," the nurse introduced as I smiled and nodded to her. First were the regular updates; height, weight, if I smoke or drank. Finally, I was able to sit on the table while the nurse grabbed a pen to mark down the numbers she already got.

"All right, Audrey. The reason for your visit today is because you took a home pregnancy test and it came up positive?" Joslyn questioned. I nodded shyly to her. "And you are seventeen years old, correct?" she asked as I nodded again. "Can you tell me when your last menstrual period was?"

"U-Um, it was September 11th to the 15th," I answered truthfully.

"You didn't suspect you were pregnant in October when you missed your period?" Joslyn inquired.

"I-I didn't realize I missed it because my...boyfriend was returning to Iraq to finish his deployment and I was upset," I responded.

"It's all right sweetheart; you don't have to be nervous. Some woman do miss their periods in emotional times. Well, if you had your period that week in September then you ovulated on the 25th and missed your period on the 9th of October. I see from your records that you've always had a period on time since you were twelve," Joslyn mentioned glancing over a few papers.

"S-So, how...far along am I?" I asked.

"Dr. Sparks will probably send you for a sonogram to confirm, but counting from your last period, it would seem you are right around ten weeks pregnant," Joslyn informed. I couldn't help but sit there a little shocked trying to take it in. I was...that far along already? Gods, I really hoped Hunter would be able to call back tonight because we had a lot to talk about. "Does your boyfriend know?"

I bit my lower lip and shook my head to her. "No. He...had to return to his tour on the 6th of October and he's been...swamped over there. I-I didn't want to tell him until I got all the facts since we only get to talk for short periods of time," I informed truthfully.

"Well, we'll get you all the information you'll need to know by the end of this visit. Sit tight, Dr. Sparks will be in shortly, okay?" Joslyn smiled, and I nodded to her before she left. I'm ten weeks pregnant, and I knew from sexual education class that it meant I was two and a half months along, two weeks shy of being three months. Gods, Hunter was going to freak out when I told him. And he was probably going to be pissed off when he found out I wasn't on birth control after telling him I was so that we could have sex last year in September. This was all my fault.

(Ten Minutes Later)

Dr. Sparks knocked and came in after I said she could, and she sat down at her desk by the small sink. "Hello, Audrey. It's been about a year since I've seen you when you came in for your annual exam," she began lightly.

"Hi, Dr. Sparks and I know," I replied to her.

"All right, I've had a look at your chart and seen the notes that were left by Joslyn. So you missed your October and November periods and then realized you could be pregnant which led to you taking a home test on Monday afternoon?" Dr. Sparks asked.

"Yeah. What happens now?" I asked. For the next twenty minutes, Dr. Sparks told me my options of being a pregnant teenager; adoption, abortion, and keeping the baby. Also, she mentioned that I would start my second trimester soon and the abortion option was only available until I was twenty weeks along. I was informed of what to expect in the coming weeks, the fact that have already started showing and that would only continue to happen. My doctor said that I wouldn't be able to hide it in about a month when I was almost four along. It was a lot to take in; I had some thinking to do and talk to Hunter.

At 4 pm, Dr. Sparks told me that I would need to schedule a sonogram appointment and set up the appointments for the remainder of my pregnancy if I was keeping the baby or going through with an adoption. I alerted her that it was all new to me and I needed a little time to settle with things and also speak to the baby's father. She urged me not to wait too long and also that I take prenatal vitamins for the time being so there wouldn't be a risk of anything happening. With the appointment over, I left the office and returned home; my parents were there yet thank the Gods. I plopped down on my bed hard and just sat there thinking about the last hour.

I was two weeks short of being three months pregnant with my boyfriend deployed in Iraq and having no idea I was carrying his child because he thought there was no need to worry since I told him I had birth control and lied to him. Now, I was pregnant due to a condom probably failing and wouldn't be able to hide it much longer. What the hell was I going to do? I needed to talk to Hunter. I sent him an e-mail, asking him if he could call because I home from the doctor's office. However, I never got a reply from him and the time ticked by until 6 pm when I knew he was on a mission since he was cleared for them again. I knew I wouldn't hear from him the rest of tonight, but I really hoped to get a call sometime soon.

(Three Weeks Later)

All this time, and not a word from Hunter. Maybe an e-mail or two saying he was busy and couldn't talk but would as soon as he could. The month was now December, and I was thirteen weeks along and officially one week away from entering my second trimester. I had seven weeks left to decide about going with abortion, but I only had about one to two weeks left before I couldn't hide my belly anymore. So far, I was using loose jeans and bigger sweaters. One of Hunter's sweaters because they hung on me like a mini skirt. I needed to talk to him, but I knew I couldn't send him an e-mail saying that he would panic and I didn't want him to worry about it if he was about to do a mission or guard shift. I would hate knowing that I had him distracted.

I didn't know what to do here. I felt like maybe I should tell my parents or Hunter's, that I should tell anyone who might be able to help me figure this out. I couldn't do that though; I couldn't tell everyone else I was pregnant with Hunter's child and not tell him. Hunter was going to be upset enough as it was when he found out and I only prayed he wouldn't hate me. The worse thing about everything right now was that I'd been having awful nightmares since learning I was pregnant. Horrible dreams about Hunter leaving me when he found out I was pregnant, or him not wanting the baby. I've also seen him...dying on tour before he comes home. As it stands, I'm due for some time in June 2017; Hunter is supposed to be home towards the end of May so he would be here for the birth.

In the same sense, having all this time to think about things and I wasn't sure I wanted to have a baby at this point in my life. I was going to be a senior come September 2017, how would I pull that off with a baby and Hunter working twelve-hour days? I'm not saying I didn't want a baby, just not right now. I wanted to be married and settled with a career first then have a family. That's how Hunter and I had planned things so even me being pregnant now would throw all that off and there is no way he would be happy to have a baby, and if Hunter found out I lied about having birth control...I didn't even want to envision how upset he would be with me. However, there was one other thing I could do to avoid him finding out I lied or that we were having a baby.

Get an abortion.

I dreaded the idea of terminating the pregnancy; I knew the baby within me wasn't just a little ball of cells with a heartbeat. No, this child growing inside my womb was a baby. Body, head, arms, and legs; I had seen it on the sonogram that Dr. Sparks insisted I get just to make sure everything was okay since I was three months along and had no prenatal care thus far. That was last week, and I still had that picture, I was looking at it now while trying to decide what to do. There were only three things I could do; One, tell Hunter I was pregnant and we keep the baby. Two, tell Hunter and we give the baby up for adoption. And three, I don't tell Hunter I'm pregnant and get an abortion.

I know how wrong it sounded to do, but I feared Hunter learning that I wasn't on birth control and continued to not bother with it after the first time we had sex. I could have gone to the doctors at any time to get the shot, the pills, the patch, or one of the IUD's. It would have only taken thirty minutes at best, but I never went. Then Hunter got deployed for ten months and returned without warning for his three-week leave, another chance I had to get birth control and didn't because I knew he was mourning and didn't anticipate us having sex during all that and it happened after Treyden snapped Hunter out of his self-blame.

Besides all that, there were other things I wanted to do in my life before having a baby. I wanted to graduate high school, go to college to become a psychologist, get settled in my career, get married, get an apartment or a house, then have a baby. Not now, I didn't want to be a teenage mother. The idea to have an abortion started becoming more like the best option after last week at the sonogram appointment while I was waiting to be seen. There was one person who knew I was pregnant but swore she would keep quiet as I was for her too. This girl was in the senior class of our school, and as I've come to find out, she too is pregnant and seven weeks along.

 **/Flashback; Last Week/**

 _At the insisted urgency of my doctor, I decided at twelve weeks pregnant to get the sonogram to make sure things were going well. After all, if Hunter and I were going to keep the baby, he would want to know that everything was going smoothly in my pregnancy. So, here I was sitting in the waiting room for my appointment. It was supposed to be at 3:30 pm, but there was some scheduling error with two other people getting put in the same slot as me, and unfortunately, they arrived before me too so I had to wait my turn. While riding out the time, I heard the office door open and in walked someone I recognized from school. An eighteen-year-old girl with strawberry blond hair and blue/gray eyes, she was a senior too. I was sure her name was Peyton Beck._

 _We locked on one another instantly, then away realizing that we knew who the other person was. Peyton made her way to the check-in window, then came to sit down in the chair a few away from mine. "We...go to school together, don't we? You're dating Hunter Haddock, we saw him that day last September when he showed up in uniform," Peyton said, and I nodded to her._

" _Yeah, I'm...Audrey Hofferson. Junior class," I replied._

" _Peyton Beck, senior," Peyton offered a small smile as we shook hands. "I guess it's a little comforting to know I'm not the only girl in school who is pregnant," I tensed a little. Was it that obvious? "It's okay; you don't have to be nervous. I won't tell anyone. How far along are you?" she asked._

" _Three months. You?" I asked._

" _Seven weeks. Have you told Hunter he's going to be a father?" Peyton inquired, and I shook my head._

" _It's tough to get ahold of him while he's over there. I haven't heard from him in two weeks," I admitted. "Is your boyfriend excited?"_

" _He doesn't want the baby, and we ended things last week after the doctor's appointment," Peyton sighed some._

" _I'm sorry. What do you plan to do, if I can ask?" I questioned._

" _Honestly, and I hope you don't judge me for it, but I plan to terminate the pregnancy. I know I can't raise a baby alone and I still have so many things I want to do before I settle down. It was a drunken night, and we didn't use protection. No one knows except him and me, well, you now. My parents would kick me out, and so much more could happen so I would rather just take care of it and no one ever has to know I was pregnant, then I can continue living my life and wait to have a baby until I'm ready," Peyton informed. "What's your plan?"_

" _I'm...not sure yet since I haven't talked to Hunter. No one knows but you that I'm pregnant, though, it's not going to be easy to hide soon," I said. The door to the office opened, and my name was called, so I stood up, "I guess I'll see you later then and I won't tell anyone about your situation either," I added as she nodded and I entered the office for my sonogram._

 **/End Flashback/**

Peyton didn't have a bad idea. She recognized that she couldn't do it alone and how much she risked by keeping the baby when her ex-boyfriend didn't want it. Peyton still wanted to live her life and wait to have a baby until she was ready so she was going to have an abortion and no one would suspect a thing. I had a lot of reasons to worry about being pregnant. For starters, Hunter is deployed to Iraq, and I haven't been able to contact him in three weeks. There was also the fact to consider that Hunter might not want a baby since he was active duty and knew he wouldn't be around to help. More situations could arise if he learned I like about my birth control and I wasn't ready to have a baby right now.

Also, I had terrible fears of Hunter being killed overseas, and then I'd have to raise the child alone. The more I thought about it, the easier my choice became of what to do. I was thirteen weeks pregnant now, and if I had the abortion, then no one would know I was pregnant, and I wouldn't have to worry about any of the other things either. I could just continue living my life and wait until the time was right to have a family, a planned one with Hunter like we talked about. Yes. This was my decision; I was going to terminate the pregnancy and put it behind me. I would get on birth control before Hunter came home and everything would be okay. This was my only choice.


	27. Happy Birthday, Milady

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Happy Birthday, Milady

~Audrey's POV~

This was it; I was having the abortion today. I wasn't sure how to feel about it suddenly. I spent the last two days setting everything up, and my parents bought me being sick easily since the morning sickness decided to make an appearance at the right time for once. The time now was 9:45 am, the taxi would be arriving in a few moments, and I was just sitting in the living room, with my hands on my stomach. I didn't even realize that I had started to cry until the tears were coming down my face.

"I-I'm sorry, little one. I don't...have another choice. No one would understand, and I'm not ready to be a mother just yet. I suppose that's...unfair to you since I'm the one who lied about being protected and my getting pregnant is my fault. No one can know about you; your father will never forgive me for lying to him," I whimpered while wiping my eyes to stop the tears. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this. I was...about to have my baby killed to protect myself, to be...selfish about not wanting my life to change due to having a baby.

The horn honked outside as I got up and got my purse to leave. No, I had to do this. It wouldn't be fair to the baby to possibly end up with only me as a parent because Hunter wouldn't want the baby or he could die while deployed. And it wasn't fair that I struggle to support a child when I'm still in school and have no job. This was how it had to be for everyone involved. I left the house and got in the back of the taxi.

"Archi Family Planning Clinic, please?" I said as the driver nodded and headed down the road to get on the highway. I closed my eyes; there was no turning back. I had to do this; it was the only way.

(The Clinic)

I paid the driver for the ride and said I'd call again when ready to leave. I took a deep breath and entered the small clinic, then moved to the desk.

"Hello. Can I help you?" asked the young woman while bringing her eyes up to look at me.

"Hi, I have an appointment for 10:30," I replied calmly.

"Audrey...Hofferson for a T.O.P?" the woman asked. I blinked a little. What was T.O.P? "It stands for Termination of Pregnancy," the receptionist added.

"Oh, yes. That's me," I nodded.

"Okay, I'll just get you checked in," the woman said while clicking a few things. "May 10th, 2000 is your birthday?" I nodded to her again, "And this is your first pregnancy?" she inquired.

"Yes," I answered. Five minutes went by of me just replying to her questions and then she gave me a clipboard with a few forms to fill out and sign. That took ten minutes for me, and I handed it back. Afterward, I was put in a room to have some blood drawn to look at my levels, then I changed into a gown and was placed in a room where the abortion would take place. I had elected to be asleep for it; I didn't want to be awake when it happened. The doctor came in and asked a few more things, then a mask was placed over my mouth and I was told to count back from ten. At four, I was out.

(An Hour Later)

I woke up slow and had to adjust to the light of the room, I was in a bed and didn't feel much right now. The nurse came in to explain that I would be a little uncomfortable as the anesthetic wore off and probably tired the rest of the day so to try and rest up through the night. I was informed the procedure was a success and what to expect the next few days of recovering. Also that I would be discharged in another hour or so when they made sure I was okay to leave. The ticked away as I sat there, eyes on my stomach where the baby had once been, and I felt empty and sad. The nurse said that might happened, a lot of young patients talked about that, but it was completely normal.

Finally, I was discharged and given back my things after getting dressed to leave. I called the cab company to send someone to take me home, and they said the taxi would arrive in ten minutes. I was giving my paperwork which included the sonogram right before the procedure, and then the one after when there was no more baby. I thanked them and left when the taxi arrived. Getting in, I gave the man my address and soon I was on my way back to Berkton. The total time I was there was about three and a half hours, I was tired and wanted to sleep.

(Berkton; Hofferson House)

Getting home, I paid the driver again and entered my house and went right to my room after getting the fire going and burning anything pregnancy related. Appointment cards, what to expect while pregnant, sonograms, the discharge paperwork. I got rid of everything, so there would never be a trace I was pregnant or that I had an abortion. Once in my room, I laid in my bed trying to sleep, the time was 2:40 pm and I knew I'd be getting calls or texts from my friends wondering if I was okay. My parents were working late, so it was just me for right now. As I was drifting off, my phone started to ring on the nightstand beside me. Reaching over, I peered at the screen and got nervous; it was Hunter.

Why now of all times did he have to call?! I couldn't ignore him, though, there weren't many times he got to talk so we had to take them when we could. I took a second to sit up, make myself look decent and then answered the call as it connected and showed his face, I gave him a smile.

" _There you are. I called home first because I figured you'd be there on a Friday night, but Caitlyn said you weren't at school to-"_ Hunter paused a minute and leaned in closer to the camera. _"Wait, have you been crying?"_

Shit. I had been crying while burning the pregnancy stuff. "Y-Yeah, just a little. I'm okay, babe, don't worry," I tried to assure him.

" _What's wrong? Talk to me, beautiful,"_ Hunter asked.

"I-It's nothing, Hunter. I was...just missing you is all," I told him.

" _Well, I'm here now so stop the tears and give me that smile that makes my day better,"_ Hunter crooned with a light laugh. I didn't know if I could smile after what I just did a few hours ago. I killed mine and Hunter's baby, and he never knew I was pregnant because I decided to be a coward who didn't want to get caught in a lie about not being on birth control which is why I got pregnant in the first place. I had to play it off, or he would know something else was bothering me.

I smiled and wiped my eyes. "I'm sorry. It's been so long since we've talked, babe. I've gotten used to the fact that if you don't call for at least two weeks, then you might be hurt and that worries me to no end,"

" _Hey, I'm okay over here. It just gets busy, or there's a crappy signal, I do the best I can. And just think. It's December now; I'll be home in May. Only five months to go and I'll be home,"_ Hunter reminded.

"I can't wait. Are we still doing whatever I want on summer break?" I asked him.

" _Of course, Love. Have you thought of any plans for us?"_ Hunter asked cheerfully.

"I was thinking we could go camping for a weekend? Maybe to the campground side of Thor's Edge, just us with a tent and some food to grill?" I suggested.

" _Sounds like a great idea. We don't even need the tent, babe. I'll put a tarp over us, and we can sleep in the back of the truck with a foam pad and some blankets. Anything else you want to do?"_ Hunter inquired.

"I still prefer the tent, Hunt," I giggled a little. "I don't know. Couple picnics with friends, dates for us in the park. I don't care what we do as I get to do it with you,"

" _Same goes for me. I can't wait to hold you in my arms again,"_ Hunter murmured. _"Sorry that I got called back early, and we didn't get to do our thing before I left,"_ he added.

"It's okay, baby. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time when you get home. As you said, we'll be eighteen and can do whatever we want together. I know I miss sleeping in your arms," I replied.

" _You'll see, babe. Everything is going to be a lot better when I get home; we'll have the life we always talked about. You'll graduate high school, go on to college; we'll get married, start a family,"_ Hunter smiled wide, and I turned the phone a bit so he wouldn't see me start crying again. I didn't want to hear about a family right now, not after earlier. _"Audrey? Where'd ya go? Can you still hear me?"_ he asked as I realized he probably thought that the signal was cutting out on him, so I wiped my eyes again and faced it the camera back to me.

"Sorry, I can still hear you. I just dropped the phone by accident because I'm laying in bed," I responded quickly to him.

" _It's like 3 in the afternoon, why are you in bed? My sister said you weren't at school today, Love?"_ Hunter questioned with worry.

"I've been home sick all day. I was throwing up last night and again this morning with a fever of 101.7, so my parents told me to stay in bed and try to rest. I just woke up from a nap when you called," I cooed.

" _You were sick a few weeks ago too, Audrey. This is starting to concern me. You've got my sister and our friends worried about you. They said you've been distant, moody, tired, and snappy since I got called back to Iraq so what's going on?"_ Hunter inquired sternly.

"Well, it was emotional, Hunter. We were all having such a good time, and then you got called back so quickly, we didn't hear from you for three weeks. The next update was from Treyden and even that night, you were in that ambush, and it was another week before we heard from you. And that was after Harry called to tell us you had been shot in the arm. Ever since then, you've been super busy, and it sometimes sucks, babe," I said with a sigh.

" _I know but it's my job, Audrey and no matter how much it might suck for you guys not to hear from me, I still have a duty to fulfill while I'm here,"_ Hunter reminded. _"Regardless, I know there's more going on. Shane, Caitlyn, Renee, Heather, Travis, and Fisher have been keeping me updated with e-mail or Skype messages about how you've been doing and even though I don't reply to those messages, I still see them. Technically, I'm supposed to be getting ready for a routine patrol at 5:30, but after I had talked to Caitlyn before calling you, I asked Harry to give me two extra hours before the job so I could figure out what's going on,"_

"Nothing is going on, Hunter. I promise. A few weeks ago it was just a twenty-four-hour thing where I wasn't feeling well, today it feels more like the flu. Puking, fever, tired, body aches, no appetite. I'm sure I'll be fine after the weekend passes," I enlightened.

" _Audrey, I know what the flu is. That's not what I'm talking about, okay? I know you've been mega-moody since I left and maybe I could have bought that for two or so weeks, but it's now two months later, and our friends say it hasn't stopped. Renee and Travis have told me about the times you leave in the middle of the class looking like you're about to hurl. Fisher and Shane mentioned you seem to be wearing more concealing clothes the last month. Caitlyn said you're always tired with a headache and perhaps the most concerning message I've gotten is from Heather, who thinks you're pregnant,"_ Hunter informed.

What was I supposed to say? It's not like it wasn't true or it had been a few hours ago. Gods, that made it hurt more too. "Why in Odin's name would she think that?" I asked, trying to sound shocked at the assumption.

" _Because she notices that you're wearing baggy clothes instead of what you typically wear such as the tight jeans and curve-hugging t-shirts. Heather said that you don't hang out with them anymore, you've been staying away from foods you love, you're always tired or not feeling well. All of our friends say it seems like you're hiding something,"_ Hunter admitted truthfully, and I felt myself get nervous.

"Hunter, there's no way I'm pregnant. I have birth control, and you always use condoms," I reminded him with a smile.

" _You and I both know those can fail, babe. I know we have safe sex, but it doesn't make us invincible to the possible consequences. It only takes one time every month for a girl to get pregnant and if both methods of protection fail, then you get a baby. Your IUD could have shifted, and one of my condoms might have broken during a session where we went nuts with it. I'm not trying to scare you, Audrey but please don't ever deny the chance that it could happen no matter what precautions we take,"_ Hunter stated.

"Okay, I won't," I looked down sadly feeling like I upset him.

" _I'm not angry with you, Audrey, so relax. Now, I want you to be honest with me; are you pregnant?"_ Hunter asked. _"If you are, I need to know so I can make sure you and the baby are taken care of while I'm deployed until May. I won't be upset, babe. We both had a hand in it no matter how it happened, so we'll figure it out together, but I have to know if you are so I can make arrangements to be around for you and our child,"_ he added.

Hunter just said everything I hoped he would if I told him I was pregnant. All my worries had been for nothing, but now, it didn't matter because of what I did. Gods, I wish I had known he wouldn't be upset about it! I'm such an idiot because now it was too late to go back. I couldn't tell him the truth, so I had to keep the lie going, right?

"I'm not pregnant, Hunter. I've gotten all my periods on time since you left," I finally said in a calm voice. I saw Hunter sigh with some relief.

" _Good. As I said, I wouldn't have minded. It would have been a shock and something to adjust too, but things would have been okay. I had to make sure because if you were then when my tour ends, my hours would have been cut shorter so I'd be around to help you out, and go to the appointments too. I would have married you straight away, and the military would provide housing for us too if we wanted,"_ Hunter informed.

That made it worse to know what I did. "So you...wouldn't have minded being seventeen and having a baby?" I asked.

" _Not at all, silly. Besides, we'd be eighteen by the time you gave birth given the period of me being home for leave, and the tour ends. You and I said we'd get married and have a family, who cares if it would have been a little earlier than planned. I like to think that everything happens for a reason so I would have gone with the flow and been over the moon about it. I love kids; you know that and learning I'd have my own would be incredible. There's time for it, Love. If you want a baby, I'm happy to give you one once you're graduated from high school. For me though, I'm ready whenever. I love you, Audrey. A life and family with you would make everything perfect,"_ Hunter said sweetly.

I couldn't help it; I lowered my head and started crying even though I knew Hunter could still see me. Gods, I hated myself right now. I did. I had the chance to give Hunter a perfect life, one he wanted to share with me...and I blew it. I didn't deserve to have Hunter, not after this.

" _Babe? I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm just that happy with you is all, and I want to make sure you always know how much I love you,"_ Hunter said, and I continued to cry soft whimpers without showing my face. _"Baby? What's wrong?"_ he asked.

This is...one more thing I had to lie about and hide from him. When had I become such a dishonest, horrible person? "It...wasn't what you said, Hunter. That was the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say, it's just my stomach bothering me," I told him while hissing a bit.

" _You should probably go to the hospital if the pain is bringing you to tears,"_ Theo mentioned softly.

"No, I'm okay. It's been a long day of throwing up and different pains. I'm just going to go back to sleep once I get some water. Don't worry about me babe; I promise I'm gonna be okay. I'll e-mail you tomorrow and let you know how I'm feeling. It's all good. Go get ready for your guard," I assured my boyfriend and his friends.

" _Alright, if you're sure. If you need anything, my Dad is home with Caitlyn. I love you, Audrey,"_ Hunter crooned.

"I...love you too, Hunter. Be safe, and I'll talk to you soon,"I replied while blowing him a kiss and he did the same before smiling and hanging up. I put my phone on the nightstand and just started crying again. I couldn't help it; I'd done something unforgivable. If Hunter ever found out; it would break his heart, and I would never see him again. I was sure that he would hate me for the rest of his life knowing that I didn't try harder to get ahold of him, that I was afraid of so many things and didn't talk to him, that I made a decision regarding a child that was his too and aborted it. I was a despicable person, and what was worse, I still didn't have the guts to tell him the truth because I was terrified to lose him.

(Five Months Later; May 10th, 2018)

~Normal POV~

Everyone who knew what this month was couldn't contain their excitement! It was finally May 2018, and Hunter's eighteen-month tour of duty was going to end sometime before June began! Today was the 10th, Audrey's eighteenth birthday. Hunter's had passed in February; thankfully he was able to get through this time and spend a good twenty-five minute being able to talk to his family, friends, and girlfriend. Audrey got herself together after that conversation with Hunter the day of the abortion; she had to keep telling herself that it was too late to change it and just move on with life. There would be another chance to have a baby between then, Audrey was confident in that. Hunter already offered for after she graduated high school.

For the time being, two months after the procedure; Audrey got on birth control. The five-year IUD that was inserted into the vagina and gave off a hormone to halt ovulation to prevent pregnancy, with this in, Audrey felt a little bit better. Hunter wouldn't be able to question if she had it or not because it was there now. The time was 6 pm, a Thursday night as the friends had gotten together to throw Audrey a birthday party along with her family included. Being the Haddock's had a bigger yard, and it was warm enough, the celebration was being held there. Music, food, drinks, cake, and some presents but all Audrey wanted was to hear from Hunter. The last time any of them heard from him had been a month and a half ago, so the worry was beginning to grow into wondering if he was all right.

"So, how's it feel to be eighteen, Audrey?" Heather asked.

"I don't know, still settling with the fact I'm an adult now," Audrey giggled a bit. In the silence, the Skype call sounded off, and they all snapped their heads to it. Normally, Salvatore was first to answer it, but since it was Audrey's birthday, he let her take the main seat to have the honors. Audrey pressed accept, and they waited for it to connect.

" _Finally! Jeeze, it's so long to fix the fucking wifi since that attack a few weeks ago,"_ Hunter grumbled.

"Should I even ask?" Caitlyn blinked at her brother's way of answering the phone.

" _For the love of Thor, please don't. A dangerous attack, the service, and wifi have been down for three weeks, and the only communication we had was radios. It was horrible, and I gotta keep this short because Hooligan is about to go out on baseline patrol for sixteen hours. Also, please don't ask why so long. We've had a lot of...issues lately, and there's a lot of time slots to fill in with those available to do it,"_ Hunter explained quickly.

"We're glad you could get through, even if it has to be quick," Violet stated to him with a smile.

" _I have like, five minutes at best so let me say what I've been sitting here for three hours trying to get through to say,"_ Hunter took a breath as they were able to see only his face with a little light behind him while he was walking. It was odd, the reception he had made it seem like there wasn't any lag at all.

"Go ahead, son," Salvatore motioned.

" _Thanks. First off, good to see everyone is okay. I've missed you like crazy and sorry if I worried about with the lack of communication, but I just mentioned why that happened, aside from being ultra, mega busy over here. Secondly, there was no way I wasn't going to call to wish my girl a happy eighteenth birthday,"_ Hunter smiled as Audrey blushed.

"Thank you, baby. You calling has officially made it the best birthday ever," Audrey told him.

" _Don't be so sure. I think my gift will top the phone call. Ready?"_ Hunter asked as Audrey nodded excitedly. _"Good because your gift should be arriving-"_ Suddenly, the call cut out, and Audrey frowned some but then her cell phone rang, and she grabbed it to see Hunter calling. _"Sorry about that, damn service. Anyway, your gift should be coming through the gate in the backyard. That's where I had them send it to you. I hope you'll like it, babe. Took a lot of planning to make sure it arrived on time,"_ Hunter said after she answered.

"You always make it happen though," Audrey laughed a little.

" _Oh, and there wasn't time to wrap it either. Sorry, I was lazy,"_ Hunter shrugged.

"That's okay, baby," Audrey replied.

" _The tracker says it's arrived so why don't you focus on the gate?"_ Hunter suggested as Audrey looked to the gate now with the rest of them. Unknown to any of them, Hunter was already there as he jumped the fence silently and made his way to sneak up behind Audrey while no one was paying attention to him since they thought a gift was arriving through the gate. Hunter ended the call as Audrey glanced down seeing it stopped, but Hunter got right beside her with a smile and kissed her cheek then stepped back.

"Just who the hell do you think you are to kiss my-" Audrey started to snap while whipping around fast to see Hunter standing there, still in uniform with a backpack and longer bag over his shoulder. At Audrey's yelling, the rest turned quickly to see him there as mouths dropped open. Instantly, Audrey got to her feet while tears formed in her eyes.

"Surprise. Happy Birthday, Milady," Hunter murmured with a broad smile.


	28. Perfect Night

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Perfect Night

The backyard of the Haddock residence had fallen utterly silent. Hunter was standing there before them still in his ACU with a backpack on his back and a longer black bag over his shoulder. The man had the biggest grin on his face, knowing full well that he tricked them good into believing he was still in Iraq. In truth, he'd been right outside in the driveway during the Skype call and then proceeded to jump the fence while they were focused on the gate for a gift Hunter said would arrive there for Audrey's eighteenth birthday. However, when Audrey began to yell about being kissed on the cheek, she turned to see Hunter there and then everyone else turned too. The shock had befallen all of them.

"So...I've been gone eight months, and I get no hugs or a welcome home? Well, that's fine. I suppose I can just go back?" Hunter stated sarcastically. No sooner than the words left his mouth, Audrey jumped at him fully. The tears fell freely as she wrapped her arms around his waist, arms locked around his neck. Hunter chuckled a little and hugged her back after dropping his black bag and keeping his arms snaked around her back.

"I'm not dreaming, right? You're here; you're really here?!" Audrey sobbed while lifting her head to see his face. Hunter leaned in and kissed her deeply, then he pulled back and wiped her tears with his thumb and gave a smile.

"I'm here," Hunter replied.

"B-But how? I don't understand. You said you wouldn't be back until the start of June, what are you doing here?" Audrey asked after Hunter eased her down onto the ground but continued to hold her close to him.

"The tour ended at on Monday, and we've all been catching different flights out in groups of twenty to thirty. Hooligan just got back today, worked out well that I'm back for your birthday if you ask me," Hunter laughed a little as Audrey just hugged him tighter.

"I'm so glad you're home!" Audrey breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped aside so his parents, sister, and other family members could welcome him back. Salvatore, Viola, and Caitlyn were first to greet him with smiles and hugs. Next was Shane, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Mikayla with a hug or handshake. Then it was the friends and finally, Audrey's parents who shook his hand and said 'welcome home.'

"So, does this top the phone call?" Hunter asked looking at Audrey who was leaning against him contently.

"Definitely beats the phone call. So you've been home during the whole call?" Audrey asked, and Hunter nodded to her, "How did you get back from the airport, taxi?" she inquired.

"Nah. Rode in with Treyden and his father, they dropped me off fifteen minutes ago and jumped the fence when you were looking at the gate," Hunter chuckled.

"Well, it's good to have you back home, son," Salvatore smiled wide. "Very clever way to surprise everyone," he added.

"Right? We weren't expecting the tour to end early. Monday morning at 6 am, Hooligan was just getting off a patrol and Andersen announced that Plasma Fire's tour was over, but we had to leave in smaller groups from Baghdad Airport, so we've been going home by platoon the last few days. Tuesday afternoon is when Bravo left. Charlie went in the early hours of Wednesday and Hooligan left eight hours ago today," Hunter explained. "I think Delta comes home tomorrow night,"

"So, things going back to how they were now that you're off deployment?" Caitlyn asked.

"Somewhat. I'm still set to report to drill first weekend of every month starting in July since they're giving us June off, have not yet heard if I'm staying at the Berkton support base for work," Hunter shrugged.

"Any idea when you will know?" Heather questioned.

"From what I've been told by Harry who is still in Iraq wrapping things up, we'll have to report to Fort Draco on Monday the 14th of May for debriefing, and I think he said something about psych evaluations and physicals," Hunter informed.

"Ah, sounds like the standard end of deployment protocol," Sal mentioned. "The soldiers returning have to be checked out to make sure nothing too traumatic took place to affect them integrating back into civilian life. And the physicals are to ensure that the soldiers can still perform their duties and no injuries sustained have affected their ability to keep doing what is required of them,"

"Sounds like what he said. I know a few from Hooligan will end up medically discharged and then other soldiers will get pulled from recently graduated AIT groups and become the replacements in my platoon," Hunter sighed heavily.

"A couple of them couldn't handle it, could they, son?" Salvatore asked, and Hunter shook his head. "It's not easy, I know. Those who choose this path don't truly understand what they could experience until it happens and then they realize it's not something they want to continue doing,"

"What about you?" Shane asked.

"I still want to be in the army," Hunter answered.

"That's not what he meant, Hunter. Are you okay with everything that happened over the last eighteen months you've been deployed?" Salvatore elaborated.

"Truthfully, yeah. I know I've seen some shit, but I'm all right," Hunter replied.

"You know that if anything starts to bother you that you can come to me, right?" Sal reminded.

"Of course, but I'm good. Now, enough about all that. It's my girl's birthday, and we're gonna have fun," Hunter smiled broadly as he left them briefly for twenty minutes to shower and change into regular clothes, then return outside. "I'll unpack later," he said after coming back out.

(A Few Hours Later; 5 pm)

The music was going, and everyone was having fun, things were much better with Hunter home now. Audrey was over the moon about it; the best birthday she'd ever had. Mostly, the party guests were just walking around and talking among one another about whatever came to mind. Some of the conversations were fun times in Iraq for Hunter and Plasma Fire, others were missions he had to go on, but Hunter could never go into a lot of detail about it.

"So who from Hooligan isn't staying after the evaluations?" Fisher inquired while they were all sitting around in the yard with a small fire going while Sal, Viola, Mikayla, Shawn, and Audrey's parents were working on dinner.

"Well, I can't speak for anyone on Striker Two, but I know that in Striker One, Danielle will be leaving and I think Amanda too," Hunter replied.

"Is it because of all the things you've seen?" Drew questioned curiously.

"Amanda just doesn't want to see any more death; she went to Harry about that when her nightmares started getting too bad. For Dani, she hasn't been the same since Liz died," Hunter sighed.

"What do you mean? We saw her during the dignified transfer and ceremony when you came home for leave; she seemed okay," Travis mentioned. Hunter appeared to close his eyes, then open them and look off to the side.

"That was just faces of soldiers doing their duty. We were assigned to bring those bodies home and preform the ceremony. The day Liz passed away wasn't easy for anyone in the platoon, but she was killed on a mission that we still had to pull together to finish and get out. Jay was also killed that day, and that made things worse. I had to remove Dani from the mission when Liz died because she just froze and then broke down," Hunter responded. "Her death was hard to watch, and there wasn't anything we could do,"

"How did she die?" Renee asked as it got quieter and Salvatore glanced over to see Hunter close his eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it," Hunter stated. It remained silent, and then Hunter's cell phone rang as he pulled it from his pocket and pressed answer without looking at who was calling then placed it to his ear. "Haddock here," he said and just listened while whoever had called him was talking. Hunter's eyes snapped open quickly, "What the hell do you mean that it's going to take another week before you and Delta arrive?! And that there will only be sixteen of you?"

"What's wrong, babe?" Audrey asked putting her hand on his arm, but Hunter ignored her to keep listening.

"Harry, I respect you as my CO and love you as a friend, but that is not only a bad idea but a stupid one too! Seven soldiers are dead and you're going to attempt to do a baseline patrol with fourteen of them since two have to stay at the EAH post and you have to stay back too. It's impossible," Hunter emphasized. "What are you going to do if they get ambushed, Major? You have no one from Plasma Fire to go in and help them and four other companies from Dreki are gone as well. Being straightforward, Major, you are fucked if anything happens,"

"No! It won't be fine, Harry. Alright? Think back to when you sent nineteen of us. I got taken hostage, remember? You want to risk that shit again?" Hunter snapped as the others listening blinked a few times. When the hell had Hunter been taken hostage?! Hunter sighed now with closed eyes. "I'm not trying to yell at you but Plasma Fire has lost enough people over the last eighteen months and now we have to bury seven more. Don't sentence the rest of Delta to their deaths, it's suicide. I'll inform Charlie and Bravo, as well as my own platoon about what happened and we'll be at the service for those who have left us. Stay safe, Major and we'll see you next week. Bye," he lowered the phone and hung up while putting it away.

"Hunter? When were you taken as a hostage?" Viola inquired with worry.

"It was when I subbed in for Conqueror leader, and we got ambushed," Hunter explained as they gasped.

"Why didn't you mention this when we talked to you after it happened!?" Caitlyn screeched.

"Because I wasn't supposed to tell you, okay? It doesn't leave this yard," Hunter informed.

"What...happened when you were taken hostage?" Fisher asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about it," Hunter responded.

"Harry never mentioned that to us, only that you got shot and were sick. Please tell us," Viola tried again.

"I've already told you way more than allowed so let's drop it," Hunter muttered. "Now, can we please just talk about something else? Anything but things that happened over there,"

"Hunter Haddock! I'm not asking anymore; you tell me what happened right now what those awful people did to you!" Viola demanded. Hunter got to his feet slowly and then glared which made his mother back up a little, the last time anyone saw that look in his eyes, Hunter had refused to call anyone for two months straight.

"For the love of-I CAN'T!" Hunter yelled at her. "Have you not been listening to a word I've said? You weren't supposed to know, and I can't tell you because I'm not allowed to! Do you have any idea how much trouble I can get into for revealing details about a level eight situation? Anything above a level four is not to be discussed with anyone besides military personnel. All of that aside, I asked if we could talk about anything else because I just got home from eighteen hellish months in that place and I don't want to fucking talk about the war!" with that, he disappeared behind the sliding glass door that led into the kitchen.

"Vi, really? He _JUST_ got home a few hours ago," Salvatore arched a brow.

"I wanted to know what happened to him, Sal. He's the one who brought it up," Viola countered.

"It slipped out when he was trying to make Harry see reason in a bad idea he wanted to go through with. Hunter kept telling you he couldn't talk about it. I know it's concerning to learn months later he was held hostage, but Hunter mentioned that the situation was level eight and that means he can't talk about it to civilians, you need to accept that. Hunter can't tell us everything that happened over there," Salvatore sighed.

"So what now? Safe to say that Hunter's probably not coming out the rest of the night," Caitlyn mumbled sadly.

"Wait, what happened?" came a familiar voice. Now looking towards the gate, the group could see Treyden, Theo, and Andrew had just arrived with what appeared to be Treyden's father.

"Sorry for the intrusion. Hunter left his laptop bag in the car, so we thought we'd bring it back once we dropped our stuff off to our houses. My parents are on vacation since they didn't know we were coming back early and Theo's dad is on a business trip until Sunday, so we're crashing with Trey for now," Andrew informed.

"Oh, and Happy Birthday, Audrey," Theo smiled.

"Thank you. Hunter's mom upset him a few minutes ago by asking what happened when he was taken hostage during that ambush with Conqueror. Hunter hadn't meant to tell us, but Harry called, and it slipped, but Mrs. Haddock hounded Hunter, and then he walked off saying he didn't want to talk about the war," Audrey explained.

"Want us to talk to him?" Treyden offered.

"No, it's okay. I think Hunter is just a little tense because Harry told him that seven soldiers from Delta were killed and he was planning to send fourteen out on a baseline patrol but Hunter reminded him about what happened with nineteen being ambushed. I think it's just too much at once coming home and he needs time to sort it out and get used to not being at war," Salvatore informed as he took the laptop bag from Andrew with a smile.

"Same goes for all of us. Have him keep us posted on Delta?" Andrew asked.

"Of course. Oh, welcome home and you too, Mr. Fury. Trey mentioned you were also deployed last year," Salvatore shook his hand. After that, the boys and Treyden's dad left as it was getting later now so Audrey's parents decided it might be a good time to shut down the party. Everyone worked together to bring in food, wrap it up, and clean outside. By 6 pm, it was done, and everyone was inside except Audrey's parents who were leaving, but she wanted to stay a little longer and make sure Hunter was alright. The two parents said it was okay as long as Audrey was home by 10:30 pm since she did have school in the morning. Audrey agreed and headed inside as her parents left, then she looked to Hunter's door.

"Audrey, why don't you talk to him?" Renee offered.

Audrey moved to Hunter's door and knocked a few times. "Baby? It's me, can I come in?" Audrey asked lightly. It was quiet a few minutes with Shane, Caitlyn, Salvatore, Shawn, Mikayla and the others watching from the kitchen to see if Hunter would let her in. Viola was keeping her distance for now knowing that Hunter probably didn't want to see her right away. Finally, the door to Hunter's room opened a bit as his eyes locked on with Audrey's.

"Sorry, Audrey. I didn't mean to get snappy earlier, I just-" Hunter began, but Audrey put a finger to his lips with a soft smile then leaned in and kissed him deeply. Hunter had been a little shocked, but he picked her up as she locked her legs around his waist and pressed her against the door frame.

"Oh my Gods, we said talk to him! Get a room!" Heather exclaimed. Hunter broke the kiss for only a moment to grin at them.

"With pleasure," was all Hunter said before stepping more into his room and then shutting the door, locking it afterward.

"Oh, no. No, absolutely not. They are not having sex in my house at 6 pm," Viola protested quickly.

"Leave it be, Vi. Hunter wouldn't be locked in his room at all if you had stopped when he said to drop it in the first place. Hunter and Audrey are eighteen, consenting adults, and protected. Also, Hunter is tired, stressed out and could the sex to relax a little so maybe he'll be less angry with you. It's been a long eight months for him, so for once will you please have your son's feelings at heart and let him do what he wants to do. The more you fight him, the more you push him away," Shawn sighed.

(Hunter's Room)

 **(AudreyXHunter Lemon)**

Within five minutes of their kissing, Hunter and Audrey's shirts were gone and on the floor followed by Audrey's bra which Hunter had just taken off and tossed carelessly into the pile of growing clothes that were being discarded from their bodies. Audrey couldn't help but giggle through the kisses they shared when Hunter gently pulled her down with him on the bed, then he flipped her so he was on top and continued to deepen the kiss while his hands rested on her breasts and Audrey moaned lightly.

"Gods, it's been too long since we've done this," Audrey said when Hunter's kisses moved to her neck.

"At least you had the ability to use self-pleasure if you wanted. I've suffered eight long months with nothing," Hunter reminded while nipping at her earlobe which made her gasp out and bit her bottom lip.

"Well, then I think we should skip the foreplay and fix you being pent up," Audrey stated softly as Hunter stopped and looked at her with an arched brow. "We can take it slow another time, but I just want us to go crazy, so let's just jump right into it? Besides, I haven't masturbated since before your leave, so I want it as bad as you do right now,"

"Have I ever told you how hot it is when you tell me just to fuck you?" Hunter asked, and Audrey shook her head before pulling his head back down and letting her lips crash against his in a heated kiss. Hunter broke it long enough to sit back on his knees and undo Audrey's pants and pull them down along with her underwear then got them out of his way before crawling over her again while she removed Hunter's pants and boxers. Of course, when they were past his knees, Hunter was able to kick them the rest of the way off.

Hunter continued to kiss her while reaching over into his nightstand drawer and grabbing one of the new condoms from the pack. After getting it on then positioning himself at Audrey's entrance as she spread her legs for him, Hunter pushed inside of her as she started to moan out, Hunter leaned down and kissed her to lessen the sound. Once in fully, Hunter began to rock his hips into her steady and hard. They both needed this, just to be in each other's arms again after so long apart. Usually, they wouldn't dare have sex with everyone over, but tonight they didn't care in the slightest.

"Mmm! Hunter, Gods! I love you," Audrey panted out through the moans after Hunter stopped the kiss to push up with his arms and stare down at her with a smile while keeping his thrusts the way she liked them.

"I love you too," Hunter replied as Audrey smiled back at him. Two hours must have passed before they were at their climaxes again. It happened a few times already, both of them cumming and then Hunter would switch out the condom to ensure it didn't break. Hunter had cum three times, and Audrey was at her fifth because Hunter decided to finger her after cumming once, and then he ate her out after the second time. It was his was of taking a break so he'd be ready again. Hunter's third time cumming occurred twenty minutes ago.

There had been many position changes over the course of two hours in their intense fucking. Hunter had been in control for most of them, and then there were two Audrey took over to do, and Hunter didn't mind at all. At the moment, they were going to finish in doggy-style because it was one of Audrey's favorites.

"It's amazing, Gods! Hunter...more, please?" Audrey moaned out and buried her head into the pillow while breathing hard. The room was hot, both of them were sweating and their hair a mess. Hunter started to rock his hips a little harder to her core, and it only brought on more moaning. "Yes, yes baby! Right there, I'm so close," she urged.

"What...do you want, babe?" Hunter asked through hard pants and small grunts of pleasure.

"Ah!" she yelled a bit. "I-I want...t-to cum, please!" Audrey pleaded him, her walls tightened which made it harder for Hunter to keep from releasing.

It was something they did to increase the pleasure, play the game of Audrey begging him to make her cum. Hunter would slow down and lighten the force of his thrusts into her if she didn't answer his questions about what she wanted from him. "Okay, you can as soon as you tell me how bad you want it," he said while slowing down and Audrey almost whimpered out. "Come on, babe. How badly do you want that orgasm?"

"Badly! Gods, I want to cum on you. I want you to make me spasm with pleasure from your cock, please! Please, Hunter. I love you, only you forever. Make me cum...Please give me release," Audrey begged him.

"Now tell me how you want me to make you cum, what does my girl need me to do to her?" Hunter smiled.

"Mm, hard and...fast, please! I want you to...fuck me harder and faster, baby!"Audrey demanded as Hunter started moving harder and faster before she even finished her sentence. A last minute change was Hunter pulling out and got Audrey on her back then put his hands on her thighs and pushed them up towards her chest while Hunter pushed his hardened length back into her and Audrey practically screamed at the feeling of how deep Hunter was in her now. Without waiting, Hunter began to pound into her the way she liked it. "Dear Gods above, yes! Oh, yes! S-So close!" Hunter pushed in a little deeper, and Audrey gave a breathless moan and arched a little.

"Cum for me, Audrey," Hunter pushed his girlfriend to finish before he did. Audrey managed to move her fingers to her clitoris and start rubbing it in a circular motion which made the moans louder again. Hunter understood, Audrey loved the vaginal orgasm but also the clitoral one, so she was going for both. "That's my girl. Come on, baby. Show me how much like me pounding into you. Show me how much you missed me, show me how much you love me and cum," he whispered to her.

Audrey's hand began to move faster, and Hunter felt her start to tighten around his length, and it drove him closer to his climax. " Ah, yes! Fuck, it so good! Hunter...Mmm." she panted while her hips began to move in meeting Hunter's thrusts. It was too much for both of them. "Hunter! I'm...gonna cum," she tried to warn him and moved her hand away.

"Me...too," Hunter managed while keeping her legs from closing up to stop her oncoming orgasm. Instead, Hunter spread her legs farther and held them down while moving as hard and fast that he could go. To give her more, he placed his fingers on her sensitive nub and massage her with a side to side fashion. That seemed to be all it took.

"Gods, yes, just like that! Do-Don't...stop, please don't!" she pleaded her boyfriend while gripping the bed comforter. Hunter began to bring his hips back fully and slamming into her with the same speed. Audrey's eyes widened quickly feeling him hit her G-spot, "Ah, that's it! I'm cumming! I'm cumming, baby! Cum with me, please cum with me!" Audrey cried out in pleasure as her back arched and core tightened.

"G-Gah! I'm...cumming, babe! F-Fuck!" Hunter growled almost as he burst from the pleasure he felt, "A-Audrey!" he moaned out as he released quickly.

"Hunter!" Audrey moaned while her hips bucked into Hunter's which made him grunt and she came as he did, he womanhood pulsing from the orgasm and she squirted hard over his length. Hunter's cock twitched when he finished cumming, he released her legs and remained buried inside of her while they continued to ride out the waves of absolute pleasure rolling over them. Both of them were panting hard, trying to catch their breath but Hunter leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"I...love you," Hunter forced out.

"I love...you t-too," Audrey replied lovingly. As Hunter fell soft, he pulled out and sat back to remove the condom and throw it away. Grabbing his towel from before, he let Audrey clean up first and then himself. Afterward, both of them got dressed, and Hunter had to help Audrey since she couldn't feel her legs. When all that was taken care of, the two cuddled until 9:20 pm and Audrey was falling asleep there, but Hunter knew she couldn't stay over tonight, which really sucked for when they had nights like this.

 **(End Lemon)**

"Babe, hey, you can't sleep. I have to get you home, remember?" Hunter reminded softly. Audrey shook her head to him. "You realize your parents will kill me, right?" he mentioned.

"What...are they gonna do, Hunt?" Audrey asked tiredly. "I'm eighteen-years-old. If they hurt you, they get in trouble, and if they go to the police, the authorities will laugh and remind them I'm legally an adult now. If I feel like staying overnight at my boyfriend's place, they can't stop me," she offered. Hunter hadn't thought of that, and she was completely right too.

"Fair play, Milady. Alright, you can stay but get some sleep because you are going to school tomorrow morning. Deal?" Hunter said.

"Deal," Audrey yawned as she snuggled up in his arms before knocking out five minutes later. Hunter laid awake for another fifteen minutes; he did make sure to text his Dad that Audrey was staying overnight because she was eighteen and could make her own choices. Hunter knew his father would understand the reasoning, after that, Hunter used the two chargers for their phones and relaxed as sleep began to take him. The day itself hadn't been what he expected, but he certainly couldn't have asked for a perfect night like this.


	29. Next Week

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Next Week

The month was now August; Audrey, Caitlyn, and the friends would be returning to school for their Senior year starting on the 27th of this month. Hunter was super proud of his sister and girlfriend for how far they'd come even with him joining the army in 2016 and being deployed for eighteen months. Hunter's homecoming went fantastic, except for when Audrey's parents showed up to his house at 11:30 pm demanding to know where Audrey was and learned that their daughter and Hunter were sexually active due to the torn condom wrapper on the floor. Such was an interesting argument, but overall, her parents accepted there wasn't anything they could do to stop them.

The rest of that week had been spent preparing for the dignified transfers of three members from Delta Nightmare platoon when everyone including Harry returned to Archi Island. The following week were the funerals, not so easy for the company soldiers who did come. However, there was a fourth burial; it was from Hooligan; one of the males couldn't take everything he saw, and how many losses occurred on tour, so he committed suicide. That one hit Hunter hard, and when everything was over, he needed a couple of days to himself and even took grief counseling with a few others. After that, Hunter was coming around to being okay again.

In total from Hooligan, five were gone after the evaluations and physicals. One dead and the rest medically discharged; Amanda and Danielle were two who left on account of mental status and currently getting help to cope with everything. Audrey and Hunter continued to do our thing which as going on dates to dinner, the beach, the movies, festivals, and fairs. Also, they had sex just like before; it was easier to do with everyone aware that they did it. Now they were in the month of August, on the 27th would start school up again. The time was 7:30 pm when Hunter pulled into the driveway as spotted by Caitlyn who sat nearest the window.

"I wonder why he's been home so late the last few days, aren't his hours 6 am to 6 pm?" Viola mentioned. Tonight, they were all supposed to go to the end of summer firework show at the park, but it started in an hour, and Hunter was just now getting home.

"Hunter's been leaving earlier in the morning too. He was out by 4:30 am today," Sal added. The door opened as Hunter walked in slowly, basically dragging his feet. All the friends were over, so was Audrey, Shane, and Gregory since the fireworks display was planned to be a group activity.

"Hi, baby. How was work?" Audrey greeted first.

"Busy, long, and tiring," Hunter replied as he went straight to his room after kissing his girlfriend's forehead. Not long after Hunter came in, Treyden, Andrew, and Theo were right behind while taking their hats off and closing the door behind them.

"Bad day?" Caitlyn asked softly.

"Eh, just for him. Hunter's hours got adjusted to where he has to be in at 4 am, and he'll finish his day at 7 pm. No idea why, though, he wasn't given a reason, but he's been pissed off about it all day. We only found out at lunch when we asked why he was already there when we came in at 6 am," Theo mentioned.

"Guy hasn't even been doing the same work as us. Hunter has been moving cargo, doing inventory, and mission scenarios since he got there, so it's a high chance he's sore as shit and tired," Andrew added in. After fifteen minutes, Hunter came out wearing black sweat pants, a pair of white socks, and then a gray shirt that read; **Archi Island Army** , and also his dog tags hanging from around his neck. Hunter sat down on the couch and relaxed with his eyes closed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Hunter asked finally.

"Firework show," Treyden stated.

"Have fun," Hunter replied.

"Aren't you coming with us, son?" Salvatore asked lightly, and Hunter shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm just too tired. You all go and have fun," Hunter said calmly, then his phone rang as he groaned and shifted to get it out of his pocket to press 'answer.' "Yes?" he began. "I swear to Thor if you tell me I have to come back in tonight then I'm taking my frustration out on the shooting range," Hunter warned. It was quiet a moment or two while Hunter listened. "If you didn't want me thinking that you're calling me back to work then don't start a conversation with what you did," he retorted. A minute later, "Understood, sir. Have a good night now. Bye," Hunter responded before ending the call.

Hunter pressed the side button until it beeped and lit up red. A few moments later, it beeped twice and turned green. =Attention all Alpha Hooligan Platoon members. Report to Archian Hall at 1430 hours in your Class A attire. Family can come, keep it under twelve and the dress is semi-formal. Everyone copy that?= After eleven responses of their last name and that they understood, Hunter put his phone back in his pocket. Trey, Theo, and Andrew didn't need to reply since they were standing right there.

After that it was quiet, and Hunter ended up falling asleep on the couch, so the three friends left and then the others went to watch the firework show and leave afterward. So to say, the night was quiet after that.

(Sunday; Archian Hall)

Now it was Sunday, the day the soldiers of Hooligan were ordered to report to Archian Hall for something they didn't know about. Hunter's guest list included Sal, Viola, Caitlyn, Audrey, Shane, Travis, Renee, Heather, Fisher, Eddie, Drew, and Gregory. Treyden and Theo only had their fathers, and Andrew had his parents.

All platoon members in their Class A uniforms and lined up at attention when ordered to by Harry. It was finally 3 pm and whatever this event could be was starting. "Welcome family and friend. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what this is about. Well, we announce any promotions or earned pins for their service. So that's what we're going to do today. These fifteen soldiers are part of the Plasma Fire Company. This is the Alpha Hooligan Platoon, commanded by First Sergeant Hunter Haddock. With a moment more to wait as we have a few to get through, we're gonna get started. Please hold applause until the end," Harry added, and then it began.

It took almost an hour to get through ten of them as each soldier down the line was given a promotion if they made one, and then they received their earned pins any, but all of them got an Iraqi Campaign badge for serving the eighteen-month tour. If anyone got promoted, it wasn't higher than Specialist except for Theo and Andrew who both made Sergeant while Treyden made Master Sergeant. The only soldier who had not gotten anything was Hunter.

"Lastly, we've come to our platoon leader. Hunter Haddock joined the Archi Island Army at sixteen-years-old and made the rank of Sergeant by the end of his Basic Combat Training. At the end of AIT, he reached Sergeant First Class for all his achievements through training and excellent leadership skills," Harry began. "Ten months into the tour, Hunter was promoted to First Sergeant. Mr. Haddock will be receiving the Iraq Campaign, Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service, Soldier's Medal, Green Star, Red Heart, Overseas, Commendation, Noncommissioned Officer Development, Army Service, and Good Conduct medals." Harry paused a moment.

"The last medal is the Distinguished Service Cross." Harry started once again as it stayed quiet. "The DSC is awarded for heroism not justifying the Medal of Honor, and the act or acts of heroism must have been notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades. Now, the law states I have to explain why the soldier earns this medal." Harry took a deep breath. "This young man was held hostage for half an hour and held at gunpoint, but he is responsible for saving the lives of three hundred and eight soldiers,"

At that moment, another man walked up. "We can show them; there's nothing gruesome from the body cameras. At their consent and of course, Mr. Haddock's," the person said.

"Very well then. Hunter, do you mind?" Harry asked him.

"Your call. I know what happened, sir," Hunter replied respectfully and tried to process the medal he just earned.

"I've just been informed that I can either tell you or show you that day. It's up to you," Harry looked to the guests. After a group nod, Harry nodded to the man from before as the lights flipped off and the projector screen came down while two people worked on the projector to get it set up. After five minutes it was ready, and the picture showed where Hunter was being held by an enemy, and then the talking began. It was easy to hear when Hunter told Harry to take the others and run on his signal but not come back for him if he wasn't out in five minutes. The video cut right before Hunter got shot, no one needed to see that.

"To wrap this up as you've seen why we chose to bestow Hunter with the second highest honor a soldier can receive, in addition to his decorations for acts of heroism, there is also a promotion. Now, this soldier and youngest to make it in just two years of service in over fifty years. I'm pleased to give you, First Lieutenant Hunter Haddock!" Harry announced proudly. At that moment, the guests rose to their feet and began clapping and cheering. Not just for Hunter but the other soldiers too. Hunter was beside himself; he had not been expecting to receive the Distinguished Service Cross nor be promoted into the officer ranks!

"Hand salute," the man ordered as the eleven soldiers brought up their hands and returned them to their sides quickly. "Dismissed!" Finally, they could relax after standing in one position for so long. Hunter rotated his neck to crack it, then did the same with his shoulders and back before moving to the table where his guests sat. As expected, Salvatore was first up to hug him tightly.

"Oh, son! I'm so proud of you! You're a First Lieutenant, you made a rank higher than mine in two years when it took me thirty!" Salvatore exclaimed as Hunter felt the air escape his lungs, but he managed to hug his father back.

Thanks, Dad...and I'll die at this rank if you keep cutting off my air supply!" Hunter wheezed out as Salvatore let him go and he managed to catch his breath.

"Sorry. I'm just so happy for you," Sal smiled.

"Congratulations, lad. You've done yer family and home proud," Gregory patted Hunter's back. For the next ten minutes it was congratulations and good job from the others, then they got into asking about the video they saw, but Harry came over and mentioned that Hunter was still not permitted to discuss matters about what happened while he was taken, hostage. Harry only said that it was a pretty severe beating and that's all he could reveal. The rest of this event was a party to celebrate them coming home and their achievements. The projector was still up and showing slides of Alpha Hooligan from their BCT, AIT, and deployment days. Random shots that got taken when they had least expected it, and there were even some videos too.

Every time a video would come up, the music would fade out, and everyone could see or hear what was going on. Theo, Andrew and his parents, Trey, the two fathers, and Amber, Conner with his parents, then Nikolas with no one since he didn't feel his parents could get along for an afternoon all sat at one table. Striker Two had their table not far though. This room in Archian Hall was small with Harry and a few of the officers from headquarters there, there was a small dance floor area too not that anyone was using it. A table sat against the wall with snack foods and drinks in coolers; the bar was open to anyone who was of age to consume alcohol. Thus far, it was an enjoyable party, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

"So all these pictures and videos are since Hooligan became a platoon in Basic?" Heather asked curiously.

"Yep, just a massive slideshow of them and a few videos when we were being recorded and didn't realize it or sometimes didn't care because we were having way too much fun," Conner chuckled with the others.

"It looks like a lot of random dancing or lip syncing," Audrey pointed out.

"Basically," Hunter shrugged. People walked around the room, they looked like workers handing out beers and then shots, one for each member of Hooligan. "Uh, what are these for?" he asked after one got placed down in front of him.

"They're from me boys and girls. Come now, Alpha Hooligans! On your feet, it's time for a toast," Harry announced. "Grab your shot and meet me on the dance floor," he added.

"Is that an order?" Theo blinked.

"Hells yes!" Harry demanded, the soldiers grabbed their shots and moved to the middle of the floor while ignoring the disapproving looks from family or friends about Harry buying them all drinks. When all fifteen were assembled around their company leader, the man held his shot. "Well, ya know. It occurred to me that this ain't my platoon, so the honor of the toast goes to you, Mr. Haddock,"

Hunter's eyes widened a bit. "Oh no, no. This was your idea, Major and our platoons make up part of your company. So, I insist that you give it," Hunter informed.

"Hunt, I'm wasted. I don't think that's a good idea cuz I'll embarrass the shit outta all you," Harry mentioned.

"How in the name of Thor are you drunk already? Party only started an hour ago," Nikolas arched a brow.

"Hey, even I like to sit back and relax now and then. Now shush, Lieutenant Haddock has the floor," Harry wobbled a bit. Hunter rolled his eyes as he took Harry's shot from him and made him sit down at the table where his guests were. "My shot..." Harry tried to protest.

"Yeah, no. If you're this drunk, then you aren't having more. You're cut off, Major Andersen," Hunter told him.

"I don't want the shot to go to waste..." Harry frowned.

"It won't. I'll drink it for you when I make the toast okay?" Hunter said as Harry beamed happily and Hunter stepped back with his platoon, then it got quiet. "We might not be able to see you, but we feel when you walk beside us wherever we go, and we know we're not alone. The bonds we have made can never be broken by time, distance, or even death. This one is for all of you. To our fallen friends!" Hunter raised his glass up.

"Well said! Here's to you assholes, you know who you are," Conner nodded raising his, and the soldiers of Hooligan lifted their glasses up next.

"To our fallen friends!" they all cheered before tapping the shots together then sucking them back, swallowing, and finally just laughing then finally went back to their tables to sit down and relax.

"Hunter, don't forget mine! You promised me!" Harry told Hunter while holding up the second shot. Hunter took it from him and slammed it back quick then put the glass down. "Atta boy. Didn't think a kid like you could handle four shots rapid fire," he chuckled patting Hunter's back.

"F-Four?" Audrey asked, "He only had two,"

"Nope, Hunter's shots were doubles. That's what I do for the platoon leaders when I buy drinks, so he had two doubles, that makes four," Harry giggled. "Man, you took 'em like a champ too. I'll have to take you drinking with Asher, Caleb, Brady, and me some time," he added.

"You alright, son?" Salvatore inquired.

"I'm good, Dad," Hunter stated while sitting down to relax. Yeah, four shots might not have been settling with him so well. That was okay; he could just sit still for a bit and let it rest. Of course, that didn't last when the other guys got up and changed the projector to show one of the times they were dancing to "Sexy & I Know It."

"Oh, my Gods. You guys didn't..." Renee laughed.

"Sadly, we did," Treyden sighed as Hunter facepalmed hard as everyone watched them sing and act out the entire music video, right down to them removing most of their clothes except a pair camo shorts.

"Were you guys drunk?" Eddie questioned.

"Forbidden on deployment so no. We were just fucking bored and decided to see what random shit we could come up with," Theo mentioned. When the video ended, it went back to showing photos and music playing from the DJ booth that only had an iPod playing on random. For the next hour, everyone was just talking and relaxing with some dinner. Hunter ended up finishing the beer Harry bought for him but after that, he wasn't drinking anymore because it wasn't resting well in his stomach, likely due to the fact he'd never had any hard liquor before and should have paced himself with some food in between. Honestly, he was getting pretty tired. Four shots and beer was taking its toll; matters did not improve when the music changed to something else; the Macarena and Striker Two was up right away to start dancing to it.

"You guys have no flare. If you're gonna do the Macarena, add some real dance to it!" Conner yelled to them.

"You think you can do it so much better, then get up here and do it!" replied one of the girls.

"Let's move, Striker One. We'll show them how you do it," Theo said as they all got up to start, but Hunter stayed in his seat and watched them all fail miserably.

"Come on, Hunt!" Amber invited.

"Hah, no way. You have fun,"

"We can't do this without you. Please?" Treyden pleaded. Hunter rolled his eyes and got up then removed his hate, outer belt, and formal coat. Hunter placed all those items on his chair before going over to the booth and restarting the song, while that opened he put Striker One in place before taking his spot at the front. Finally, the eight began and took everyone by surprise. The song was a remixed version, so the boys and one girl had their dance for it while still doing the original. There was a lot of hips rocking and rear end shaking, but damn did they do an excellent job because Striker Two ended up sitting back down while huffing and pouting that they were basically out-danced by the others.

As it ended the eight of them connected hands laughing before returning to their seats. "I didn't know you could move like that, Hunter," Heather stated.

"Audrey could have told you; she knows all too well," Hunter chuckled.

"Hunter!" Audrey blushed embarrassed knowing what Hunter was talking about and then she punched him in the side which didn't make his stomach feel too good.

"Ow! Hey, let me remind you that if you crack or break one of my ribs these days with those punches, then it's you who loses out on the sex until I heal," Hunter grunted a bit. "That's six to eight weeks in case you were curious," he added. Audrey bit her bottom lip and snuggled against his shoulder. "Uh huh. That's what I thought," he added then kissed her forehead.

"And I didn't know you could move like that. Like wow, babe," Audrey giggled.

"You knew I could move my hips; you didn't know I could dance," Hunter informed.

"All of you did an excellent job," Viola mentioned. Hunter smiled, she was trying, so he wouldn't knock it. The party continued while everyone was having fun. Striker One ended up doing a single shot together, then getting back on the dance floor with a beer in hand while singing and dancing to boy bands such as Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Dreamstreet, 98 Degrees, Savage Garden, O-Town, Yellowcard, so on and so forth. As the celebration was coming to an end, Hunter had Audrey in his lap with arms locked around her.

"I can't believe summer is almost over," Audrey frowned.

"Only a year left of school, Milady," Hunter chuckled, "Oh, that does remind me though. Over the course of this week, start packing your camping things and clothes,"

"We're going camping?!" Audrey exclaimed happily.

"Didn't I promise we would? Yes, we're going camping for a week at Thor's Edge. We leave next Monday, come home Sunday. I got us a site along the river, perfect view of the mountains, sunrise, and sunset. The bathrooms, showers, store, and pool are all within a six-minute walk. Tent to sleep in as requested with an air mattress, pillows, and blankets. I've got everything else we need; you just have to pack your clothes, bathing suits, some towels, sandals, sneakers, the stuff you want with you," Hunter enlightened.

"Will we get to see you at all?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Of course, you guys are welcome to come up for the day if you want. We can do a couple of days with family and friends, but you're in charge of bringing food for yourselves. I got what Audrey and I need, or better yet, warn me the days you come, and we can plan for it. We might not always be available," Hunter said.

"Fair enough, son," Salvatore nodded as he understood what Hunter meant by that, for some days the two of them were going to want to be alone. "We should be getting home, it's been a long day, and I know you're tired, Hunter. You aren't used to drinking. Five shots and two beers, I'm surprised you haven't shown signs of being drunk yet,"

"That's because I was eating before I started drinking and have thus since been munching on the bread because it soaks up the alcohol. However, I won't say no to getting home as I'm tired and have work tomorrow at 4 am," Hunter agreed with the idea. Without much more being said, Hunter and his guests packed up to leave. Hunter said goodbye to his friends, then got in his father's car with Caitlyn, Audrey, Shane, and his parents as they returned to the Haddock House. Shane went home, but Audrey was spending the night with Hunter as expected. Hunter and Audrey couldn't wait for this week to be over; they were going camping next week!


	30. Didn't Expect That

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Didn't Expect That

~Audrey's POV~

The camping trip was nothing short of incredible! Hunter worked all week from Monday to Saturday, then on Sunday we loaded up his truck with the tent, grill, camping chairs, tarps, side tables for chairs, dry foods, and clothes while we kept one set for ourselves out to change into Monday morning. After we were showered and dressed, we grabbed all the cold foods and drinks to pack them into the four coolers we had with ice and got them into Hunter's truck. We used the backseats to hold the air mattress, pump, radio, extension cords, pillows, and blankets. By 10:30 am, we were ready to leave and told everyone we'd see them throughout the week, then we were off to Thor's Edge or at least the campground side of it across the lake from the picnic area where we'd been the day Hunter said he was going to AJROTC for the summer.

When we arrived and got checked in, then reached our spot, I fell in love with where Hunter got us for the week. A big spot with a fire ring, picnic table, some rocks, and a path leading down to the river. The first thing we did was set up the canopy tent over the picnic table then add the netting around it to keep out the bugs. Hunter and I unloaded the grill and chairs next, then the side tables. After all that was arranged to our liking, we set up the tarps just in case it rained. Finally, we put up our tent; it was a big four sleeper one and the perfect size for us. Hunter positioned it so we could wake up watching the sunrise but still have the entrance to the tent able to face the fire and truck. Hunter took the liberty of pumping up the air mattress then I made the bed with sheets, blankets, and pillows.

We put our luggage in the tent along with a small, square folding table on either side of the bed for the battery operated lanterns. The coolers were stashed in the canopy tent under a big folding table, along with the metal bucket filled with dry foods. On the folding table was the cooking and eating utensils we would use. Around 12:30 pm, we'd finished setting up of our site and then decided to get something to eat for lunch. When that was done, we used the truck to bring back two wheel barrels full of wood. Hunter's inventing habits kicked in as he found a way to keep it between two trees on a tarp and covered by one but still easy access and near the fire ring. Safe to say that by 1:45 pm, we were ready to sit back and enjoy our week together.

We spent Monday relaxing and looking at some of the events going on through the week to see if we'd join any of them. There was bingo nights, luau's, and more. Tuesday was a pool and beach day since we could swim in the lake just like on the picnic side of Thor's Edge. Wednesday we did some of the activities around camp like the airsoft war, crafts, horseback riding, etc. Thursday was a day where Hunter's family and mine came up in the late afternoon until dinner, then enjoyed the fire with us. Friday our friends and Caitlyn came through to hang out, this also included Treyden, Andrew, and Theo too. Saturday was a day just for us, relaxing down by the river and talking about whatever came to mind. Finally, Sunday came, and we spent all morning from 10 am to 2 pm packing up and leaving for 3 am when checkout was.

Most nights during the trip, Hunter and me were having sex. There was one time we did it just as our friends showed up because we'd forgotten they were coming since they were late so we figured why not get a quickie in. Sorely mistaken when we heard two cars pull up and doors shut, then voices asking where we were. What sucked was that Hunter and I were in the middle of doing things slowly, we told them to give us a few minutes than Hunter, and I got each other off through foreplay. Boy was it awkward coming out of the tent and seeing them staring at us, we told them to leave it alone, and if they hadn't wanted to hear anything, then they should have been on time and not let us entertain ourselves when we got bored. Later that night Hunter and I went all out with the screwing after our friends left.

We returned home Sunday afternoon, unpacked the main stuff then Hunter returned me to my house so I could grab a shower and unpack my clothes. Since my parents weren't home, he stayed over until 7 pm, and we had sex again. I swear that week alone we beat our record of most sex had in a single week. Most of the time, we only did it once or twice since Hunter was usually tired after work and used his Sundays to recuperate from the long week. With him not working while we camped, there were no boundaries to hold us back. It was now August 18th, 2018 and I would be starting my final year of High School a week from this coming Monday, today was Saturday.

Hunter told me he had a day planned out just for us since, in the following week, he would be busy with work, and I will be stuck school shopping with my mother. Apparently, I needed a new wardrobe that was befitting of an adult ready to take on the world with a job and starting to get my life together. I dreaded it, but I could do with some new clothes and shoes, such was life. I would still get to see Hunter during the week though. He was working 4:30 am to 6:30 pm, the hours weren't great, but we came to find out that it was due to his promotion of First Lieutenant because now, Hunter was working out of Fort Draco with bigger jobs and training new recruits too.

All that meant was Hunter had to leave his house by 3:45 am to get to the base, park, clock in, then prepare for the day. Upon leaving work, Hunter clocked out at 6:30 pm, got to his car ten minutes later, then the forty-five-minute drive home. It was past 7 pm by the time he got there and was always exhausted too. I felt bad for him, he worked so hard, and it was unbelievable to see his accomplishments in only two years. Hunter joined June 2016; now it was August 2018, he's been a member of the Army for twenty-six months. It was surreal to process sometimes, but Hunter earned everything he has, and a lot of us felt like we had been wrong to doubt his ability to survive in the military.

Viola still hated it, but she kept her comments to herself. Salvatore was only proud of everything, Caitlyn was iffy still. Our friends and Shane didn't care as long as Hunter was happy. Eddie and Drew could care less; they only came around so much because I felt like they were jealous. I couldn't wait for this event Hunter had planned for us, it's been nagging at me since he mentioned it last night. I guess we were starting at 11:30 am, right now it was only 8 am so three hours to go. I was showered and ready while sitting on the couch messaging him, he said he had to go for a bit and would see me soon. In the silence, my mind began to wander. I often thought about November 2017, when I had that abortion and no one even knew I was pregnant to start with.

I felt awful about it and still do. I had no right to go through with that procedure without consulting with Hunter first. The baby I carried was mine, and his and I only got pregnant because I lied about being on birth control. Hunter would never forgive me if he found out, no one would for that matter. What made it worse was Hunter calling when I got home from the clinic. Hunter saying that all our friends noticed my odd behavior, that Heather thought I was pregnant and if it had been just three or so hours before; I could have told Hunter I was and never did the procedure because Hunter admitted that he would have been overjoyed to find out he was going to be a father.

I hated myself for what I did, and there were still times when I would breakdown and cry over it. If I didn't have the abortion, we'd have our baby. Hunter and I would be married, living together probably but I fucked all that up by making a selfish decision regarding myself. I had the abortion because I was scared Hunter would leave me, afraid that he might die or not want the child. Terrified of having to raise the baby alone while still in High School, that I wouldn't get to go to college because I'd need to work to take care of my baby. Gods, I was a horrible person because Hunter would have made sure I was taken care of in the event he did die, and his family would have been around too.

I should never have thought those things and made the decision out of fear. Now I couldn't take it back and had to keep living with the guilt of my choice. I honestly didn't deserve to be with Hunter; I'd lied to him, twice and still keeping secrets about everything. I didn't have the guts to tell him the truth because I know he'd be upset, angry, and break up with me in a heartbeat. The saddest part, I wouldn't blame him one bit. It would hurt, and I'd probably beg and plead his forgiveness for another chance but what I did was unforgivable. I knew Hunter; he would likely forgive me but never forget, and it would keep us from being together because he would know he couldn't trust me anymore. I know this made me selfish, to continue lying and hiding things from him but I was afraid to lose him.

I love Hunter with everything I am and I knew the truth was safe because no one knew I was ever pregnant or that I had the abortion. It would be okay, Hunter and I could have another baby and the previous pregnancy would never come out because there would never be a need to question things, I made sure not to leave a trail. I changed doctors so there was no record of me ever being pregnant and it wouldn't be brought up next time I went and got asked if this was my second pregnancy. I destroyed the sonograms, appointments, discharge papers, everything from the clinic. There was nothing to ever say I was pregnant except myself and I'd never tell.

(4:45 pm)

~Hunter's POV~

I was so friggen behind in picking up Audrey because I misplaced my keys and wallet. Found them under them in my clothes that almost went through the laundry. I texted her ahead of time to warn her I couldn't find my stuff and then let her know I was on my way to grab her at 12:30 pm so we could start our day. It would kick off with lunch at Gregory's place, then mini golfing, finally, something I couldn't wait for; skydiving. I remembered Audrey mentioning the night of my promotion she wanted to try it after seeing me and the guys jump out of a plane so I arranged for that to happen. When all that was over, we were going for a walk in the park together and then we'd likely end the night with dinner and making love.

There was no way we wouldn't end the night like that because this evening over dinner; I was going to ask Audrey to marry me. Yes, it was time to ask her. I always said I would propose to her when I was eighteen, and now that she and I both were, I wasn't going to wait any longer. I would ask for her hand tonight; then we'd plan the wedding for after she graduated, then we could enjoy that life and honeymoon before Audrey started college. Hopefully, after that, we could live together while she did her studies and had a family. That's all I wanted anymore; I had a good job, great family, and friends. Now I wanted this woman beside me as my wife forever while we raised our own family. I couldn't wait.

Even though we got a late start, we got to do everything I planned. Now, we were enjoying a pleasant walk through the park and talking about whatever. I had the ring in my pocket on the opposite side she was on so Audrey wouldn't accidentally run into it by accident.

"So where are we going for dinner, baby?" Audrey asked me with a broad smile as we were holding hands while making our way down the path.

"Oh, just a beautiful little spot called Berkian Fine Food & Drink," I stated as she stopped quick and looked at me with wide eyes and a bigger smile than before.

"Oh, my Gods?! You got a reservation for that place?! It's next to impossible, how did you manage?!" Audrey exclaimed as I chuckled.

"I know a guy, but yes, I got us in for 6:00 pm. I figure we can circle back and get to the truck, relax at your place for a bit then be on our way to dinner," I told her as she squealed with excitement and jumped up and down while I laughed a little.

"You're the best boyfriend ever!" Audrey giggled, and we shared a kiss. Gods, I loved this woman. After the kiss, we turned around to return to the truck; it wouldn't take us long to reach the restaurant at all so why not enjoy some alone time. I honestly just thought of proposing at her house, then we could celebrate the engagement over a romantic dinner for two and tell everyone else afterward. Tonight was going to be perfect. Fifteen minutes later, we were nearing my truck to leave.

"Audrey! Hey, it's been so long since we've seen one another!" called a voice I didn't recognize. Audrey and I turned to see a young woman hurrying over towards us, so we waited. I figured this must be someone Audrey knows and it's not like we were missing anything right now.

"Uh. Hi, Peyton. Yeah, it has been. How are you?" Audrey asked as this girl hugged Audrey and I found myself getting confused about how these two knew one another.

"I'm great. My guy and I got back together, happier than before. How have things been for you? Got a new guy I see, what happened to Hunter?" Peyton mentioned as I blinked a few times and Audrey's eyes widened before she quickly shook her head side to side.

"Oh! No, no. This is Hunter, he just looked different with the haircut and not in his uniform as you saw him that day at school when he finished his training," Audrey said quickly.

"Ah, I see the auburn hair and green eyes now. Sorry, Hunter. I only caught a glimpse of you that day," Peyton giggled gently.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know who you are?" I stated.

"I'm Peyton; I was a class above yours. Well, it would be Audrey's since you left and joined the army," Peyton introduced.

"So you and Kyle got back together after the whole...situation?" Audrey asked her.

"Yeah. Right after it was over with he called and asked if I was okay, he came over to comfort me, and it took a few weeks, but we decided to be together again," Peyton explained.

"That's wonderful, and I'm glad you two worked things out. Where is he now?" Audrey smiled.

"He's going to meet me here in ten minutes, he said he had trouble finding his keys," Peyton chuckled a little and Audrey did the same.

"Hunter here did the same thing this morning," Audrey stated as I rolled my eyes.

"How have things been for you two now that he's back from deployment? Oh, and welcome home, Hunter," Peyton said.

"Thanks," I replied calmly.

"We're doing great. It was not an easy time with him gone, and I hope he doesn't have to go back anytime soon," Audrey said while hanging on my arm.

"I can imagine with all you had going on at the time we saw one another in the office that day," Peyton nodded agreeing. Something about that sentence caught my attention; what office was Peyton talking about and what did Audrey have going on that was hard without me around? "Well, it's definitely past the date, so I take it you went with one of the other options?" she added. Okay, what the hell was going on that I didn't know about!? Had something happened to Audrey that she wasn't telling me? I saw Audrey give Peyton a nod silently and I couldn't help but notice the nervous, saddened look in her eyes.

"Babe? What's going on?" I asked her.

"I had mild stomach pains and light bleeding for two days; the symptoms faded off by day four. It was hard to do, but I didn't have another choice. I wasn't ready for all that," Peyton sighed some. "You look good for someone who gave birth about two months ago. Was it hard for you both to let the baby go after it was born? Was it a boy or girl?"

At that moment, my eyes widened in disbelief of what I was hearing. This Peyton girl was saying that Audrey was pregnant and had given birth back in June? I-I was home at the start of May, and I would have noticed if Audrey was eight months pregnant. "I think you might have the wrong person. Audrey wasn't pregnant two months ago. I got home in May, and she was as skinny as she is now," I said to Peyton.

"Oh, I see. You went with the abortion like I did," When the girl said that, I felt Audrey flinch since I was still holding her hand. I froze and slowly faced Audrey who looked like she was about to cry. Peyton seemed to stop now as she looked at me and Audrey who looked to be nervous still, biting her bottom lip and not staring at me. I suddenly had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Oh my Gods," Peyton covered her mouth quickly and stepped back once, "you...didn't tell him?" she added on.

What...wasn't Audrey telling me? I let go of Audrey's hand, not in anger but it just slipped away. I was shocked, confused, and didn't understand what was going on. Of all the things I expected to hear that could have happened, I didn't expect this to be it.


	31. Betrayal

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Betrayal

The three teenagers standing near the parking lot were silent and immobile. Peyton was shocked, Audrey looked like she just got caught after trying to hide something, and Hunter seemed to be frozen in confusion. How could he not be after hearing the things he just did. From Hunter's perspective; Audrey did something she knew she shouldn't have and got caught trying to hide it, and she happened to be hiding it from Hunter. The words being thrown around by Peyton were the baby, birth two months ago, adoption, abortion, and now 'you didn't tell him.' Hunter's first thoughts, Audrey cheated on him and got pregnant then had an abortion to keep Hunter from knowing the truth. Whatever the case may be, Hunter was getting to the bottom of it before the night was over.

"Peyton! Where are you, baby girl?" called a male voice. Peyton turned to see her boyfriend coming up to the group.

"Right here, Kyle!" Peyton replied as he reached her and smiled.

"Friends?" Kyle asked.

"Sort of. Babe, this is Audrey Hofferson, she's the girl I met in the sonogram office when I was seven weeks along. And next to her is Hunter Haddock," Peyton introduced.

"Pleased to meet you both. I've heard good things about you, Hunter. You serve with my cousin, Private First Class Kimberly Sunders," Kyle stated.

Hunter managed to snap out of his confusion and shake the man's hand. "Kimmy? Yeah, she's on Arrow Squad for Conqueror," Hunter responded.

"Thank you for your service to our home," Kyle nodded while locking his arm around Peyton's waist.

"Thank you for your support," Hunter bowed his head in reply.

"Well! I think we...should get going. I, uh, think Audrey and Hunter said they were getting ready to leave too. U-Um, see you around," Peyton quickly waved and pulled Kyle away as Hunter looked at Audrey who still had her head down. Hunter knew what needed to happen and Gods was he dreading it. Hunter opened his passenger side door on the truck, then brought Audrey over to it.

"You and I need to talk. Now." Hunter muttered. Audrey flinched a bit but got in the truck. Hunter moved around to the driver's side and climbed into his seat, then put the seatbelt in place. Hunter took a deep breath before he start up the truck then putting the gear in reverse and letting off the break as they backed out, turned around, switched to drive and started down the road to Audrey's house.

(Hofferson Residence)

Pulling up to the sidewalk, Hunter parked and shut the truck off then just sat there a minute. The ride had been silent, Audrey never looked at him either. Audrey's hands were in her lap as she stared at the ground while Hunter drove, keeping his eyes on the road and trying to calm his thoughts so they could talk. Now they were sitting in Hunter's truck just outside Audrey's home, and nothing had been said yet.

Hunter felt that Audrey was too scared to talk, understandable because she knew that she had been caught in whatever she was trying to hide. Hunter closed his eyes with his hands on the steering wheel still. "Were you pregnant before I got home from Iraq in May?" Hunter finally said. At first, Audrey didn't say anything then she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Yes," Audrey replied softly.

Hunter didn't flip out; he knew that he didn't have all the facts. Giving himself a minute to process her answer, he kept his eyes forward. "And you terminated the pregnancy?" he asked next.

"I-I did," Audrey's voice trembled a bit.

Continuing to keep his calm, he took a breath. "Why?"

"I...thought it was the right...thing to do. I was scared and couldn't...contact you. I just...wanted to have the abortion before anyone...found out and...put it behind me," Audrey forced out.

"You got pregnant while I was deployed, didn't want anyone to know what happened, and had an abortion then tried to act like it never happened?" Hunter asked to make sure he heard what she said right. Audrey nodded to him. "What was your friend saying? That you had a lot going on; I hope it's not the case but, were you...raped?"

"I-I wasn't raped," Audrey answered, and Hunter felt some relief that she wasn't harmed. That still left his other worry though.

"So then, you must have cheated on me after I went back to-No, that's not right either because that Peyton girl said you were just to give birth in June. That would mean you slept with someone else before I got home in May, got pregnant, then had the abortion to hide it from everyone including me," Hunter gripped the wheel a little hard. Audrey looked at him quickly, her eyes holding tears in them.

"No. Gods no, I would never be unfaithful to you, Hunter. I didn't...cheat on you," Audrey said. It was that to make Hunter whip his head in her direction.

"Then how the hell did you end up pregnant, Audrey. You weren't raped, and you didn't cheat on me, then the only person you've had sex with is-" Hunter stopped with his eyes widening and hands dropping from the steering wheel while staring at her. "No. No. Don't you dare tell me-" he paused again trying to make sense of all their conversations from the start of his deployment to the end.

 **/Flashback; November 2017/**

 _"Nothing is going on, Hunter. I promise. A few weeks ago it was just a twenty-four-hour thing where I wasn't feeling well, today it feels more like the flu. Puking, fever, tired, body aches, no appetite. I'm sure I'll be fine after the weekend passes," Audrey replied._

 _"_ _ _Audrey, I know what the flu is. That's not what I'm talking about, okay? I know you've been mega-moody since I left and maybe I could have bought that for two or so weeks, but it's now two months later, and our friends say it hasn't stopped. Renee and Travis have told me about the times you leave in the middle of the class looking like you're about to hurl. Fisher and Shane mentioned you seem to be wearing more concealing clothes the last month. Caitlyn said you're always tired with a headache and perhaps the most concerning message I've gotten is from Heather, who thinks you're pregnant,"__ _Hunter informed._

 _"Why in Odin's name would she think that?" Audrey asked in response._

 _"_ _ _Because she notices that you're wearing baggy clothes instead of what you typically wear such as the tight jeans and curve-hugging t-shirts. Heather said that you don't hang out with them anymore, you've been staying away from foods you love, you're always tired or not feeling well. All of our friends say it seems like you're hiding something,"__ _Hunter admitted._

 _"Hunter, there's no way I'm pregnant. I have birth control, and you always use condoms," Audrey informed._

 _"_ _ _You and I both know those can fail, babe. I know we have safe sex, but it doesn't make us invincible to the possible consequences. It only takes one time every month for a girl to get pregnant and if both methods of protection fail, then you get a baby. Your IUD could have shifted, and one of my condoms might have broken during a session where we went nuts with it. I'm not trying to scare you, Audrey but please don't ever deny the chance that it could happen no matter what precautions we take,"__ _Hunter stated._

 _"Okay, I won't," Audrey sighed sadly._

 _"_ _ _I'm not angry with you, Audrey, so relax. Now, I want you to be honest with me; are you pregnant?"__ _Hunter asked._

 _"I'm not pregnant, Hunter. I've gotten all my periods on time since you left," Audrey replied in a calm voice._

 **/End Flashback/**

"It was mine...wasn't it?" Hunter breathed out. Audrey bit her bottom lip, and Hunter knew he was right. "You were pregnant with...my child, our baby and you had an abortion!? Without ever telling me you were pregnant? You just...found out you were pregnant and decided that I didn't have the right to know because you couldn't get a hold of me and terminated the pregnancy?!"

"Hunter, please...let me explain!" Audrey tried.

"When!" Hunter demanded instantly. "When did this happen, Audrey?!"

"I-I found out wi-with a home...test on November...20th, after feeling horrible at school and the girls saying all my symptoms pointed to getting my period...and then I realized I never got it. When...I arrived home, I checked my calendar and never got a period...in October either, I was...due for one three days after you got called...ba-back...I took the test, and it came up positive, then went...to the doctors the day you called me, and I told you I wasn't feeling good," Audrey whimpered out.

Hunter sat there a minute, eyes still wide and trying to calm down but it wasn't working as he'd hoped it would. "If...If you were due for a period three days after I returned to Iraq then...you were already a month and a half. I called you that Friday the 24th of November and you said you were at the doctors because you were sick," Hunter started counting on his fingers and looked back at Audrey. "You were ten weeks pregnant that day. Why the hell didn't you tell me when I was on the phone! You're trying to tell me you couldn't contact me when you knew you were pregnant and had me on Skype!?"

"I-I was scared and wanted...to get all the information first so we'd...be able to talk about things. I'm sorry, I just...panicked and didn't...want to freak you out before you went on that mission," Audrey cried.

"Okay and I get that, Audrey, but why didn't you send me a message saying we needed to talk after the appointment. I would have found a way to contact you and made time so we could figure it out. I got nothing from you. The next time we talked was three weeks later at the beginning of December! Why not say anything then?! I even asked you that day if you-" Hunter froze again as Audrey cried harder, sniffling. "That was the day you had the abortion, wasn't it? That's why you missed school, were home crying, and in pain..." he trailed off, and Audrey nodded meekly to him.

"I-I took a taxi to the clinic in Archi City, was there for a few hours, then retook a cab home...destroyed all the appointments, paperwork, sonograms...I didn't want...anyone to know..." Audrey told him.

"I asked you that day if you were pregnant and you said no. Now I get why you started crying after I said all that stuff about wanting a family and would be overjoyed to know you were carrying my baby. Because you realized hours too late that I wouldn't have cared if you were. Why the hell did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me? I have to know why you terminated the pregnancy!?"

Audrey started shaking. "B-Because it was my fault I got pregnant, because of another lie I told you way before you started the tour..." her voice cracked.

"What...lie did you tell me before the deployment?..." Hunter asked trying to stay calm.

"The first time we ever made love...I...lied about being on birth control. I never...had it, I just told you...I did so we could do it still. I'm so sorry, Hunter..." Audrey explained.

"You were never...on birth control?" Hunter inquired, and Audrey looked away. "Have you ever...been on it?" he saw her nod to him.

"I-I got on it af-after the abortion. I...meant to get it right after the first time b-but school and other things kept me from going, so I didn't say anything because I-I knew you'd be upset with me for lying. When the tour started, I figured there was no point because you weren't home, so I was going to wait until your leave, but you came back so unexpectedly that I didn't...have time and stayed quiet. Then I found out I was pregnant and got scared about you not wanting the baby or...losing you while you were on tour, having to raise the child alone, I had...horrible nightmares about you dying. I was terrified that I'd have to leave school, work all the time, and...I just...panicked and thought having...an abortion would fix things. No one...would know I was ever pregnant or that...I lied about being on my birth control..." Audrey choked up.

"Well, apparently someone did know and blew your secret. How far along were you when you did the termination?" Hunter asked.

Audrey fiddled with her fingers and bit her lower lip again, still crying. "Thi-Thirteen...weeks," she answered finally.

Hunter turned his head from her with a hand on the wheel again. "So you were three months pregnant and killed our baby,"

"Please don't make it sound so cruel..." Audrey pleaded.

"But that's the truth, Audrey. You got pregnant with our child, a life that grew inside of you for three months that we made out of love. And you terminated that life because you let your fears and assumptions take over. That is what abortion is; it's murder. A baby has a heartbeat at five weeks that baby was a living person that you killed. You understand that, and it's why you cried the day you went through with it. The minute I called, you realized what you'd done and couldn't take it back," Hunter said, and Audrey looked down when he glanced towards her.

"You lied to me about being on birth control so we could go all the way. You got pregnant and didn't tell me when you had the chance to. I can let that first instance slide from when you were at the doctors and wanted to get information, that I can understand because yeah, I would have freaked out. However, you didn't let me know anything was wrong or up for three weeks, and I called just hours after you terminated the pregnancy of our baby. And then you destroyed everything to cover it up so no one, including me, would ever know about it and you could just...carry on with normal life and pretend it didn't happen," he continued softly.

"I probably could have overlooked the birth control aspect if you hadn't gone through with the abortion and tried to hide it all. Three years, Audrey. For three years I have been loyal, honest, and open with you about everything and even if not right away, like with the military thing, but I still told you. It appears that you cannot do the same for me. I see how much I mean to you now," Hunter lifted her hand where the promise ring was, "And it's clear that you don't care about me, as much as I care about you," he dropped her hand now and looked away.

"Hunter, no, please. I do care about you; I love you with my everything. I want to get married and have a family, just like we talked about," Audrey tried to touch his hand but he pulled away from her, and she became afraid that he was going to leave.

"That would have meant a lot more to me before all this, Audrey. You know, I don't think being shot or to watch my friends die hurt this much. Not even my Mom being unsupportive hurt this much. I just...cannot believe what you did after you claimed to want marriage and a family with me. You had that chance, and you blew it when you made the choice you did," Hunter said as Audrey bit back.

"What...are you saying?" Audrey pushed nervously.

"I'm saying that right now, I can't be around you. I can't bring myself to be around someone who I would have died for because I love her that much knowing what I do. So I think you should just...get out of the truck and go home then leave me alone for a while," Hunter said.

"A-Are you breaking up with me?" Audrey asked. Hunter didn't look at her.

"We're on a break until I figure out if I can forgive this. Don't contact me; I will let you know when I'm ready to talk. It will be before you start school but keep your distance for the time being," Hunter replied quietly. Audrey knew she couldn't say anything else right now, so she unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the passenger door, and got out then shut it again while taking a few steps backward, still crying. Audrey watched as Hunter used his sleeve to wipe his eyes before he turned on the truck, put it in drive and began moving down the road.

Audrey wanted to breakdown, but how could she? This was entirely her fault, and Hunter had every right to never speak to her again, yet, he was choosing to say they needed time apart until he decided what to do. To Audrey, it meant she still had a chance, or it signified that Hunter was going to leave because he couldn't forgive what she had done to the family they could have had if she hadn't been afraid and assumed things. When the truck was out of sight, Audrey returned to her house and went to her room to cry. There was nothing she could do at the moment, Hunter said for her to leave him alone and he would talk to her before school started again. Audrey could only pray that Hunter gave her another chance.

(With Hunter; Thirty-Five Minutes Later)

Hunter didn't want to see family, he didn't want to see any friends, he didn't want to go home, and he didn't want to stay in town where everyone could find him easily. Hunter went all the way to the city silently and stopped at a bar and inn; he knew he wasn't driving back tonight. Pulling into the parking lot, Hunter parked and shut off the truck while sitting there a minute or two looking at the ring he was going to propose with, tears still in his eyes. Finally, Hunter shut the box and put it back in his pocket before exiting his vehicle and locking with the alarm. Hunter got inside the establishment, showed his license, got himself a room for the night and signed the slip that said staff could take him to it if he got too drunk to get there alone.

At last, Hunter got himself a stiff drink while sitting in a spot against the wall at the bar. Hunter's phone was off; he didn't want to be bothered at all. Truthfully all he wanted to do was drink until he didn't feel the pain of his heartbreaking and utter betrayal.


	32. Missing & Found

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Missing & Found

The Haddock family thought to worry about Hunter when he was in Iraq and they didn't hear from him was scary, but Hunter not coming home seemed to have a stronger effect on them. Typically, it wasn't something they should need to be concerned about because they knew Hunter was with Audrey or that's where he said he would be and also added he would be home later that night since Hunter didn't spend the night with Audrey when he parents were going to be home. The Hofferson's knew Audrey and Hunter were sexually active but still forbid it in their home. The reason things were fearful was that Hunter usually lets them know when he was on his way home or if something else came up. Last night, however, there was no alerts and no sign of Hunter.

"I don't like this, Salvatore. It's not like Hunter to vanish," Viola said while pacing back and forth in the living room after the clock had struck 8 am and still nothing from their son.

"I know, Vi but Hunter is eighteen, and he's not obligated to tell us anything that he chooses to do. I know you're worried, but it's early, and perhaps it was a long night for them. Hunter mentioned he was taking Audrey to Berkian Fine Food & Drink, must have been a special occasion or something," Sal tried to ease his wife's concerns.

"I think Dad might be right. All day date, one of the nicest restaurants in town, saying he wouldn't be home until late. It's the perfect set up to propose, and Hunter had promised when they turned eighteen he would marry her. So maybe they got a hotel room to celebrate the engagement, and we'll see them later?" Caitlyn offered.

"It's still unlike him not to update us if his plans had changed. Hunter said he was coming home last night, and the last we heard from him was before he left the house to pick her up. That was 12:30 pm yesterday. I know he can take care of himself, but it's a mother's instinct when something is wrong, and I can't shake this feeling that something bad happened and he isn't okay," Viola began to sob. Sal sighed and got up to hug her.

"Alright, listen. We'll give it until after lunch at noon, and if we haven't heard from him, we'll start calling around to see if anyone has seen him. However, I will not involve the police until we know he's missing for sure," Salvatore informed as Viola and Caitlyn nodded in agreement about his idea.

(Noon; Sunday, August 19th, 2018)

Four hours had passed and not a word from Hunter, as per the agreement, the Haddock clan made the decision to start with Audrey first since that's where Hunter said he would be. Caitlyn had her phone out and called her brother's girlfriend, keeping it on speakerphone so the family could all hear what was said.

" _Hello?"_ came Audrey's voice.

"Audrey, hi. It's Cait. Um, is my brother with you?" Caitlyn asked gently.

" _Hunter's not with me. We got into an argument around 5:20 and I haven't seen or heard from him since. I assumed he went home; he's not there?"_ Audrey asked quickly.

"No, he never came back here last night. We tried to call a few times, but his phone goes straight to voicemail," Caitlyn replied then sighed slowly, "Well, thanks anyway. We'll try calling the others," Caitlyn hung up after that and looked to her parents.

"So they got into a fight, and Hunter took off. I told you something was wrong! Where would he go?" Viola began to get worked up.

"Breathe, Vi. I'm sure Hunter went to a friend or maybe Greg's. Let's not start jumping to conclusions that he ran away or is hurt somewhere," Salvatore instructed. "Caitlyn, you call the twins, Heather, and Fisher. Vi, call Shawn and Mikayla. I'll call Gregory," he stated. Without another world, the three Haddock family members started making their calls, but after fifteen minutes, there was nothing on Hunter or his whereabouts.

"We could try his army friends," Caitlyn suggested.

"We don't have their numbers or addresses," Viola cried into her her hands. "Call the police, Sal. Find our son," she demanded.

"Just because they haven't seen him doesn't mean he's missing. Now let's get into the car and look for him, we do not involve the police until we've looked first. We'll check some of his favorite places, and even the bars. I know he's not a big drinker but maybe after a fight with Audrey he needed something to relax with," Sal offered. For the next few hours until 3 pm, they checked all over Berkton for Hunter and came up empty handed. Reaching their home, the friends and even Audrey called in to see if they had luck finding him but to no avail. As the time came around to 4 pm, it was decided they would wait until tomorrow at noon once again. If Hunter weren't home or had made contact by then, they would call the authorities to locate him.

(Monday; August 20th, 2018-12:30 pm)

Everyone was over, Audrey too because they were concerned about Hunter. Of course, all of them tried to find out what the argument was over but Audrey said it was between her and Hunter, so she wasn't saying anything about it. "We've waited two days, Sal. I want to know where my son is, call the police," Viola insisted. Sal sighed, as much as he didn't want to, his wife was right. Hunter had been gone since Saturday at 12:30, his last time being seen was leaving Audrey's at 5:20 pm that same day. There had been no updates and Hunter had not returned home. Salvatore picked up the phone and prepared to call 911 when something was heard pulling into the driveway.

"It's Treyden, Andrew, Theo, and...Harry?" Caitlyn informed after looking out the window. "And then a jeep with two others,"

"I guess that means Hunter didn't show up for work today and they are trying to figure out where he is too," Gregory stated calmly. There was a knocking on the door as Salvatore went to answer it, seeing four men there looking worried and two remaining serious, it only made his fear worse.

"Is Hunter here, Sal?" Harry asked right away.

"I'm afraid not and given you're here; I assume he didn't show up to work?" Salvatore inquired.

"No, and unfortunately now we have to call in the military police who have so kindly decided to come along to see what would cause him to take off and not make contact, also where he might go. May we come in?" Harry questioned. Salvatore stepped aside to allow them inside. "You know the four of us, these two are officers Thomas Miles and Jason Braxton, here to help find Hunter. Kingston, Fury, and Vollan confirmed speaking to Hunter on Friday at work and that evening when he said he'd be busy Saturday. He was due for work at 4:30 am today, and there was no record of a call out or him clocking in. We're hoping any of you can fill in the blanks since you noticed he isn't around,"

"The last person to see Hunter was his girlfriend, Audrey at 5:20 pm, Saturday the 18th. He left here at 12:30 to pick her up and never came home. Audrey says they had a fight and Hunter left, hasn't been seen since," Salvatore informed. Suddenly all eyes were on Audrey.

"Can you tell us what the argument was about? Or at least his state of mind, that's far more imperative," spoke one of the officers, Thomas if the group remembered correctly.

"W-Why is his state of mind more important?..." Viola cried lightly.

"It's protocol for us to try and rule out some of the more severe reasons why he would...vanish, shall we say," replied Officer Braxton.

"Su-Such as?" Gregory tried.

Harry sighed. "It's because it's still within in a six-month period that he's been home from war. It's a precaution we take with all the soldiers, and one suddenly takes off like this and hasn't made contact or can't be reached, then we have started considering the possibility of late-onset PTSD," the man explained.

"You mean a situation where he became so upset that he tries to commit suicide or could have already done so," Salvatore closed his eyes.

"Yes, which is why his state of mind after that argument is relevant," remarked officer Braxton again.

"Audrey didn't want to say; she knew she would be yelled at. "Audrey! This is not a time to be silent. Hunter has been missing for two days, and you were the last one to see him after an argument you two had. Do you not understand what is happening? Hunter could have been triggered by a PTSD attack, something he can hurt someone else or himself if he hasn't already committed suicide!" Theo said firmly.

"I did something foolish. Hunter left my house crying at 5:20 pm on Saturday and told me to leave him alone until he contacted me before school started next week," Audrey looked down.

"Boys easy," Harry said.

Treyden pulled Audrey to her feet and moved down the hall to Hunter's room and pushed her inside then shut the door and locked it. "Tell me. Now. This isn't a game, and if you care about him at all, you will tell me so we can find him before something bad happens," Audrey felt the tears form again as she told Treyden the short version of everything that happened. Treyden stared at her then backed up and unlocked the door leading her out. "I seriously cannot even believe you would do something like that to him and if we find Hunter hurt or dead, I'm blaming you entirely," Trey glared at her. "We need to find him. The argument doesn't matter, Hunter's not in a good mental state, and we're wasting time,"

"We looked for him yesterday. His favorite spots, motels, bars even and came up with nothing," Caitlyn informed.

"Would he go anywhere else?" Harry tried. "Any place you might have overlooked thinking it wouldn't be possible?" Everyone shook their head sadly.

"We'll send teams out to start checking the other towns and on the look for Lieutenant Haddock's vehicle," said Officer Miles calmly. Suddenly, Treyden looked up as if remembering something.

"Trey? Treyden, what's wrong?" Andrew asked trying to shake him, but Trey didn't answer.

 **/Flashback; October 2017-Iraq/**

 _The Hooligan Platoon finally had some down time and decided to use it to relax after all the missions and attacks. The topic had thus become the argument between Hunter and his mother before he forgave her the day of the going away party where they had been called back._

" _Would you have just moved out and left?" Treyden asked while Andrew and Theo were talking with the others out in the hall, preparing to go to the entertainment room._

" _Hm? Oh, what I said to my Mom about not seeing me again?" Hunter inquired, and Treyden nodded to him. "I was dead serious about that. If all she's gonna do when I call, e-mail, Skype, or even being home is give me shit about being in the army, then yeah, I'm just gonna leave, disappear, and only tell Dad, Caitlyn, Audrey, and my friends where I am," he added._

" _What if anyone else gave you trouble or hurt you that much?" Treyden questioned._

" _What? Decided to be unsupportive about my choice having no consideration for my feelings. Same thing I suppose. I'd just take off for a while or move elsewhere," Hunter shrugged._

" _Where would you go?" Treyden chuckled a bit._

" _My favorite place in the world. Downtown Archi City where all the bar/inn establishments are. No one would think to look for me there," Hunter smiled. "I can be in a bar while under eighteen as long as I'm not drinking," he added._

" _You're a smart asshole. Go to a place no one would expect you to be," Treyden laughed and then the two of them left to join the others._

 **/End Flashback/**

"TREY!" Andrew, Theo, and Harry yelled as Treyden felt himself get shaken hard and he snapped out of it panting.

"What the hell, man? You just blanked out on us for two minutes," Theo scolded.

"We're supposed to be searching for Hunter, remember," Andrew added.

"The city," Treyden replied.

"You're not making any sense, Treyden," Harry sighed.

"In the city, Hunter's in the city!" Treyden told them as they all blinked. "Just...Ugh, don't ask questions and let's move. Head for the city, downtown. Check the bars and inns for his truck,"

"Where are you getting this? Did he contact you?" Harry asked.

"No! Look, in October last year after the big fight Hunter has with his mother, I asked him if he would have left home if anyone hurt him that much again. I also asked where he would go and he told me his favorite place in the world. Downtown Archi City, trust me, that's where he is." Treyden stated firmly before rushing outside. Not arguing because, with that explanation, it seemed logical, everyone prepared to load up and head into the city, of course, Treyden did order that Audrey goes home because Hunter was not going to want to see her. After that, they were gone, going forty-five minutes to downtown.

(Dragoon's Bar & Inn)

By the time they arrived, it was 1:45 pm and had looked almost at every bar that had an inn too but no sign of Hunter. They were coming up on the last one. Only the Haddock's, Treyden, Theo, Andrew, and Harry had gone for the search. Harry said he would update the officers and if they didn't find Hunter, then it would be time to put on a full search. There was no sign of Hunter's truck, but this was the last place to check, so the seven of them hurried inside.

"Hi folks, welcome to Dragoon's Bar & Inn. What'll it be for ya? Except her, she's too young," the bartender greeted while motioning to Caitlyn.

"We're looking for someone. Eighteen-years-old, male, auburn hair that's military cut, green eyes, and goes by Hunter Haddock?" Harry asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't give out that information. It's...against the policy, and I wouldn't know. I work day shifts and just started yesterday," the man replied, and the group sighed. Another person came over to them now with a soft smile.

"You know his password?" the man said.

"Excuse me?" Viola blinked.

"He left me with a password for anyone who came looking for him to give me," the bartender informed.

"I am his mother; you tell me where my son is!" Viola demanded as Sal backed her up and made her stay quiet.

"This is a matter of urgency, my good man. Hunter is a member of the A.I.A and been missing for two days without making contact to anyone. We're worried he's not okay and might hurt him-" Andrew started, but the barmaid put his hand up to stop him.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, but I have laws to follow regarding privacy. I'm sure if he wanted to be found, he'd of contacted someone. Now, if you pay attention, I can tell you where he's at, but you need to give me the password. It's something I set up for this place when I opened it ten years ago. Patrons who come in trying to get away from things leave me with a password of their choosing, something that if anyone comes looking for them, the password acts as a safety feature. If someone can give me the password he chose, I can tell you where he is," the man said.

"What the hell would Hunter use as a passcode?" Harry groaned. "Do we get a hint?"

"Best Friends," the barmaid leaned back.

"Uh. Travis, Renee, Heather, Fisher?" Caitlyn tried, but the man shook his head.

"Audrey?" Viola said and received another shake from the bartender.

Treyden thought it over. Best friends? Finally, his eyes widened. "Alpha Dragons!" Treyden announced quickly as everyone looked at him.

"You got it. Hunter is around the back in room 201, second floor. Might still be sleeping, he didn't leave here until the bar closed at 1:00 am and came back down when it opened at 12:30 pm. As far as I know, he returned to the room twenty minutes before you arrived," the man said.

"Thank you so much," Treyden told the man then they all went to leave.

"Hold up there. The young man who got the password right can go, the rest of you can't. And it doesn't count if you heard him say it." the bartender informed.

"It's okay, you wait out front, and I'll go get him," Treyden said before exiting the bar and walked around back, sure enough, Hunter's truck sat there all locked up. Making his way up the stairs, he got to room 201 and knocked a few times then waited. After two minutes, the door opened, and Treyden was able to see a very tired looking Hunter.

"How did I know you'd be the one to find me and figure out the password," Hunter said to him.

"Because you're one of my best friends and I remembered what you said about being hurt bad and taking off to the city for a bit. I know what happened, I made her tell me when everyone wanted to figure out where you've been," Treyden replied. Hunter sighed and closed his eyes, Treyden was able to see the tear stains on his cheeks. "I know it hurts, Hunt, but drowning yourself in alcohol isn't going to make that easier. Come on now, let's get back to Berkton. Your family, Harry, and the rest of Alpha Dragons are waiting on the other side of the building,"

Hunter took a deep breath and nodded as he grabbed his things slowly, and Treyden helped him out since Hunter was still drunk for all intensive purposes, thank the Gods he wasn't wasted though. When everything was ready, Treyden took the keys and got Hunter in the truck, then himself as they drove around front seeing the others waiting still. In all that time, Hunter managed to fall back to sleep, so Treyden motioned for them not to wake him up as he went and told the bartender they were leaving and taking Hunter with them.

"How was he, Trey? Is he hurt?" Harry asked.

"No. I checked his arms, legs, wrists, and for any weapons or other methods of committing suicide but found nothing. Hunter's just been in the room looking at pictures of Audrey and him, crying while in between buzzed and drunk. I don't think he wants to hurt or kill himself, he's just trying to feel something other than the pain of what Audrey did," Treyden informed.

"What did she do?" Caitlyn asked.

"It's not up to me to tell you. I know because I was worried about my best friend and forced her to tell me. For now, I think it is best we return to Berkton so he can rest, grab a shower, sober up first and then we can talk to him. Just us, don't have anyone else come over," Treyden suggested, "I'll take Hunter back in his truck and meet you there,"

"Treyden is right; there isn't much we can do right now while Hunter's in this state," Harry agreed. Unable to argue because talking to Hunter while he was drunk wasn't going to do any good, they all loaded up and started the drive back to Berkton. Everyone wanted to know what Audrey did to make Hunter go missing for two days in the city to drink to kill the pain but what mattered now is that he had been found and they could help him as much as he'd allow.


	33. The Hardest Thing

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

The Hardest Thing

~Hunter's POV~

I knew if anyone would figure out where I was and what I selected as my security password for people who came looking for me would be Treyden, the guy was the only one I'd told that my favorite place in the world was Archi City, downtown. It was a dark place, known for being calm and perfect for seeing the stars in the night sky. It was also the only district with about fifteen bar and motel combination buildings. I also knew Trey would guess my code; I'd mentioned to him once or twice that Alpha Dragons, our unit made up of Theo, Andrew, Trey, and myself, were my best friends. Sure, I loved Heather, Fisher, the twins, and even Shane as my friends, Shane being my cousin but still a friend. But I couldn't call them my best friends, they hadn't been there for me like Trey, Andrew, and Theo had been.

Saturday night was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I was going to propose to her, ask her to be my wife like we'd always planned but instead; that day turned into the worst one ever learning that Audrey was pregnant with our child and chose to have an abortion because she got scared and didn't talk to me. I could understand the fears she had but if she had come and spoke to me, I could have put them to rest for her and things would have been alright. The rest of her having an abortion was that she had decided not to tell anyone and act like it never happened. However, it didn't go that way. The second half of what made it horrible is that I discovered Audrey was never on birth control until after the pregnancy termination, she lied about it so we could have sex that first time when we were caught up at the moment and didn't want to stop.

I knew drinking wouldn't take away the pain, but it dulled it for a short time, enough for me to be able to think. When I first found out what happened through Peyton who apparently said it without knowing I didn't know; I was confused, but after talking to Audrey directly, the disbelief, shock, anger, sadness, and pain kicked in. Odin knows I should have left her on the spot and I didn't. Instead, I said she needed to leave me alone, and we were on a break until I figured things out. I couldn't make a decision that could affect the rest of my life without giving it some serious thought first.

I could have forgiven her lying about the birth control; I could have even forgiven her not telling me she was pregnant right away. But Audrey having an abortion because she didn't talk to me? Sadly, I could not forgive that. Our relationship was supposed to be built on so many foundations and knowing what she did; I'm able to see how many of those aspects that she ignored and _chose_ not to honor. I knew that I had to break up with Audrey on the sole basis that I couldn't trust her anymore.

I had to break up with her. Audrey and I both had choices to make regarding our lives. And it was heartbreaking to know that she and I couldn't share a life together because she made her choice to kill the plans we had, and I made the decision that I can't be with someone who I couldn't trust due to lack of communication and lies. Today was Friday, the 24th of August and I had given my word Audrey would hear from me before she went back to school. This was going to suck, but it had to be done.

First, though, I was going to get Treyden and the guys over because I needed that support. Also, I was going to let my family be there. So, this morning I talked to Dad to let him know I was having Audrey and a few others over but I let him know that it was between Audrey and me, Dad understood that meant all I needed was them there for support, and they would learn what happened. I wasn't going to be an asshole; I had to call her. Bringing up her contact ID, I pushed the phone icon, and the call started while I waited for a pickup. By the fourth ring in, it connected. _"Hello?"_

And here we go. "Audrey, it's Hunter," I replied.

It went silent on her end for a moment. _"Hu-Hunter. I'm so...glad you're okay. Caitlyn called me Sunday morning and said you...never went home Saturday. I've been so worried,"_ she responded nervously.

"I wanted to be alone, so I went to the city for two days until Trey, and the others found me at Dragoon's Bar & Inn. Anyway, I told you I'd let you know when I made my decision, and I have," I stated. "I want you to come over tonight around 5:45 pm,"

" _O-Okay. I'll be there. I-I love you,"_ Audrey said softly. I closed my eyes and lowered the phone, _"Hunter? Did you he-"_ she started, but I just ended the call. I couldn't say it back to her even if I did love her back. I knew this was going to be hard, to let her go but I had too. It would be better for both of us. Did I hate Audrey? No. Could I forgive her with time and maybe be friends as we once were? Probably. Could I trust her again? In due course. Could I continue a relationship with her? Right now, no. There is too much pain to still be with her knowing what I do. Perhaps another time when it didn't sting this much, and trust was regained, there could be a chance of getting back together and starting over, but for the time being, things had to end.

(5:45 pm)

~Normal POV~

Hunter stayed in his room until 5:30 pm when Salvatore alerted him that Treyden, Andrew, and Theo had arrived. Caitlyn was there, but Viola still working and wasn't due home until 7 pm or so. Now, it was just waiting on Audrey. Hunter didn't know how he was going to word things, he hoped it came to him, and he didn't end up giving in when he saw her crying after the breakup. Finally, a car pulled into the driveway as Audrey got out and made her way to the living room door.

"She's coming towards the door, you okay?" Treyden asked. Hunter forced a nod.

"Do you want me to get it?" Salvatore inquired.

"No, it's okay. I'll do it," Hunter said, and then there was a knock as he got to his feet and moved to the door with a deep breath, then opened it.

"Hi," Audrey greeted lightly.

"Hey. Come inside, and you can head straight to my room," Hunter told her. Audrey nodded to him and walked inside the house while trying her best not to look at anyone until she reached the hallway then moved down it into Hunter's room. This is how Hunter planned it, they were going to talk in his room, but the door would be open, and the others could hear, they would find out what happened but instructed not to say anything or engage Audrey when she left the house after the talk. When Hunter entered the room, he closed the door only slightly and faced her. It wasn't hard to miss the nervousness resting his soon to be ex-girlfriend's eyes. "Have a seat," Hunter offered gently.

"N-No, it's okay. I'll stand," Audrey replied.

Hunter sighed a bit. "I've had a lot of time to think about things. What you did wasn't something small, it was enormous and affected life. If...you had been raped, Odin forbids it ever happens or had cheated on me, I could have forgiven that. But I can't overlook that you aborted that baby and never told me you were pregnant, then tried to pretend like it never happened when the pregnancy you terminated was _our_ baby."

In the living room, being that it was close enough for them to hear what was being said, Theo, Andrew, Caitlyn, and Sal had heard it and gasped with wide eyes as Treyden only looked away. "Audrey was pregnant with Hunter's baby and had an abortion!?" Caitlyn whispered harshly, still in shock. "When was this!"

"Ssh and you'll find out. I don't know either, but I was aware of what she did," Treyden replied quietly.

"Hunter, please...I'm sorry. I-I know what I did was wrong and you have every right to hate me, leave me even but please don't. I-I just got scared and didn't...know what do. I couldn't contact you," Audrey tried.

"I understand your fears, Audrey. I'm the army, I was deployed, and Thor knows how many times I got hurt. And then the times I had no signal or was too busy to call. I know it wasn't easy to talk on the phone or Skype, but you knew how to e-mail me, and I checked that every day even if I didn't reply. When all this happened, the only messages I got were when you said you were home from the doctor in November or the brief times I e-mailed you to say I was busy and would call when I had the chance. You only said okay, nothing more than that," Hunter explained.

"Because I didn't...think it was a conversation for e-mail, babe. Please, please don't be upset with me? I'll do anything to prove I'm sorry, just...give me another chance?" Audrey asked trying to hold back tears.

"You're right; it wasn't a conversation for e-mail, Audrey. My point is that you never gave me a notification that said we needed to talk about some serious from your doctor's appointment. You never asked me to please find a way to contact you because it was important. The day you went to the doctor because you didn't feel good, you knew you were pregnant and-" Hunter started.

"I told you why I didn't tell you, Hunter. I wanted...to get all the facts first," Audrey interrupted.

"Let me finish," Hunter said as Audrey nodded to Hunter for him to continue. "I know you wanted to get all the facts, but if I had a heads up that you'd missed your period for two months and took a home test that came up positive and were at the doctors to confirm things, I wouldn't have freaked out in a panic. I would have told you to get the information and let me know right away so I could find a minute to call. Don't say it's impossible for me to do because if you recall, I went two hours late for a mission when Heather thought you were pregnant and I made time to call and see if that was true. Again, my point is that I just figured you were sick and would let me know how bad but you didn't,"

Audrey tried to argue, but unfortunately, Hunter was right. Audrey could have made more effort to let him know something was up, and she didn't. "You found out you were ten weeks pregnant at that appointment and for three weeks, I didn't get any messages from you about us needed to talk. Instead, in those three weeks, I got messages from Shane, Heather, Fisher, the twins, and even Caitlyn saying that something seemed off about you. Heather is the one who thought you were pregnant so I made time to call and see if that was true and when I did, I apparently called hours too late because that was the day you missed school and had the abortion done." Hunter continued calmly.

"Not following, that didn't give us a time frame?" Andrew mentioned murmured.

"Do the math bro. Audrey was ten weeks pregnant when she went to the doctors that day and had an abortion three weeks following that when she was thirteen weeks along, basically three months into the pregnancy. That means she got pregnant when Hunter was home on leave because she would have missed her October period a few days after we got called back to Iraq. The first missed period would have put her at two weeks because doctors count back from the last period received which for Audrey would have been likely the week before we came home. Audrey ovulated two weeks after that, so probably the week of September 25th," Theo informed, but they were still listening in.

Also at this time, was when there was a knock on the door and Sal went to answer it. Opening the door, standing there was Shane, Fisher, Heather, the twins, Eddie, and Drew. Sal motioned for them to come in quietly and take a seat, they got the hint that Audrey and Hunter were talking and if they stayed quiet, they would be able to hear them talking.

"Hunter, I'm sorry. Please forgive me; I was just so afraid of...you not wanting the baby given you were deployed, I was scared of you dying on tour, and either one of those landed me raising the child alone. I was having...horrible nightmares about finding you were dead or walking away saying you didn't want to be a father. That's...why Peyton had the abortion too, her boyfriend had left her saying he wasn't ready. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Audrey pleaded.

"Wait, what's going on!?" Heather exclaimed quietly.

"Audrey, I don't know how you expect me to forgive this. Okay? You got pregnant with our child and had an abortion three weeks later because you couldn't contact me, then to top it off, you hid it and pretended that nothing happened. And add on the fact you lied to me about being on birth control in the first place for over a year!" Hunter stated firmly.

"Just...forgive me, and we can go back to being happy together, have the future we planned..." Audrey reached for his hand, but Hunter pulled back not realizing he ended up in the hallway where they could see him.

"How can we have that future when you stopped it as it was starting? What did we always plan? High School, careers, marriage, a family. You were pregnant with the child that would have begun our family and terminated the pregnancy out of fear because you didn't tell me what was going on," Hunter remarked.

"I tried, you were too busy, and I was running out of time on a decision," Audrey whimpered.

"Running out of time? The limit on abortion is twenty weeks, Audrey! That's five months along, and you did it at three because you knew the process after thirteen weeks was up to three days long and you didn't want to get caught! And the worst part is the day that I asked if you were pregnant was the day you had the abortion and tried to act like everything was all right," Hunter stated.

"What did you want me to say, Hunter?... Audrey cried a little.

"I wanted you to tell me the truth! You know, like as soon as you friggin knew you were, in November when you took the home test. You could have told me when I was on the phone that day. I'm sorry that while I was fighting in a war those three weeks after your appointment, I couldn't call. You've seen how dangerous and busy it gets and I don't have time just to get out my phone and call you. Also, that depended on the signal. But you had a way to contact me, e-mail and chose not to! I didn't think there was a problem because you didn't say there was one, so I went about doing my job as I'm expected to," Hunter's eyes narrowed a bit.

Audrey looked down sadly. "You said you couldn't forgive me when this started. I know I was wrong to do what I did, you're right, I should have tried harder and not let fear take over. So what are we now, still on a break or can we...move past it and into the future we planned, the one you promised we could have when you came home?"

Hunter closed his eyes taking a breath. "The thing is, Audrey, I had every intention of keeping my promise to marry you up until I learned from your friend last week in the park that you were pregnant and had an abortion that I never knew about,"

"W-What do you mean; the intention of keeping your promise until you learned the truth?" Audrey asked now, nervous of the answer.

Hunter moved into the living room where his coat hung in the closet as Audrey came in following him. Hunter pulled something out of the pocket and kept it at his side before looking at her with serious but pain-filled eyes. Finally, Hunter lifted his hand, palm up revealing the sky blue velvet covered ring box and the tears Audrey had been trying not to let go of began falling down her cheeks. Hunter opened the box revealing a beautiful engagement ring; a white gold band with three small diamond on either side of two larger aquamarine stones and then a center white diamond between the two soft blue aquamarine ones. "The date I planned last Saturday, everything we did was to lead up to me giving you this and asking you to marry me at the restaurant,"

The room was silent, dead silent. No one had known Hunter planned to propose to Audrey last week and apparently after learning the truth; he decided not to offer at all because what Audrey did hurt him badly. Treyden, Theo, Andrew, Caitlyn, Harry, Viola, and Sal knew how much pain Hunter was in given the fact that they found Hunter drunk at the bar when he'd been missing for two days.

"For three years; I've given you my trust, loyalty, and love. I've always been honest and open with you about anything, but you couldn't do the same for me," Hunter's voice held little tone to it and hid a lot of sadness as he closed the box and put it in his pocket. "Audrey, how can I stay with someone who lied, broke my trust, and didn't talk to me? I can't because I don't trust you anymore,"

"Hunter, please. Please don't leave. Y-You can trust me. I'll never lie or keep secrets again, I swear, and we'll have the most...talkative relationship in the universe. Just please give me another chance to prove it to you. I'll never hurt you again, I swear it on my life," Audrey tried as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tightly while burying her face in his chest crying. Hunter fought lifting his arms and returning the hug, the others in the room could see that Hunter looked like he was fighting back crying too. Hunter raised his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes.

"Audrey, I can't trust anything you say. You had...so many chances to tell me and you didn't," Hunter said before he gave and hugged her back. "Listen to me, okay?" he said before pulling from the hug and Audrey sniffled hard before wiping her eyes. "Gods know how much I love you, alright? You saw my proof of how much I care, how much you mean to me, and how badly I wanted a future with you. But you need to understand how much you hurt me with what you decided to do in your fearful assumptions. That pain is the reason we cannot be together anymore,"

"B-But why? Can't we...stay together and I'll...give you whatever space you need to heal," Audrey asked with a cracked tone.

"It's not about that, Audrey. It's about the fact you...aborted the baby we made together. Okay? How are we supposed to get married and have a family if you...terminated the pregnancy of the family we'd already begun? It hurts me to know you didn't trust the promise I made to you with this," Hunter lifted her hand with the promise ring on it. "I promised you we'd do everything we planned when I got home. You...getting pregnant with our child should have been a good indicator that I'd be overjoyed to become a father. Starting our lives together early, nothing would have been better for me. This ring should have reminded you that I wouldn't have left your side over pregnancy and it hurts you didn't trust in that. It hurts you didn't talk to me, that you hid things and lied to me. All that, I can't be with you and heal at the same time,"

"So...we're over then? As in I'll never see you again?" Audrey wiped her eyes once more.

"Audrey, you were my best friend before you were my girlfriend. Okay? And with some time apart, not in a relationship together, we could get back to that. It was us...being friends where we fell in love, where the trust and communication started that formed a romantic relationship. I need to time to heal from all this, and I can't do it by being with you. All I'm going to think about is what you did because you didn't trust or communicate with me. And all you're going to think about is how much you regret your choice that hurt me. So, it's best for both of us to break up and go about our lives separately. Who knows, maybe if we get back to being friends; you can earn back my trust and manage to prove the things you said before, then there's a chance we get back together if the feelings are still mutual. But all we'll do at this point is fight if we stay together," Hunter explained.

Much to everyone's surprise, Audrey nodded to him and gave a soft smile even though she was crying. "You're right and I...won't make it harder for you. If I have to let you go to heal and have the chance to regain you through being friends again after some time passes, then I'll do it. Anything to prove I'm sorry and that I love you," Audrey told him.

"I appreciate that. And I expect the rest of you who will see her in school not to give her a hard time. I know everyone heard what happened and I accepted she got scared and made a wrong choice, but don't shun her away. In her defense, I could have checked in more after her appointment to make sure things were alright. My being deployed at the time was stressful for everyone so don't write her off and hate her. We both had a hand in what happened regardless of facts, and for the time being, it's just easier for us to break up and maybe get back together later on. Got it?" Hunter informed firmly to the others listening.

"Got it," they replied.

"Good," Hunter said then looked back at Audrey. "Come on, let's get your stuff from the bottom drawer in my room and then Shane will take you home because I already asked him if he wouldn't mind," he added while leading Audrey to his room. Fifteen minutes later, both of them returned and Shane got his keys ready and the door opened while waiting for Audrey. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will and...until I retrieve you, I want you to hold on to this," Audrey said as she took off the promise ring and put it in his palm. "I don't expect you to wear it, but it's...my promise to you now, that I'll prove we can start all over as friends who become lovers," she said softly while closing his hand over it with a soft smile. "I love you, Hunter, and I always will no matter what,"

"I'm just gonna use the restroom before we leave. Wait in the car for me," Shane stated heading towards the bathroom.

"I...love you too," Hunter replied as he led her outside past the door and to Shane's car where she put her spare backpack full of clothes, deodorant, tampons, and small accessories that she'd kept at Hunter's house when they _were_ dating. Audrey knew they were broken up, but there was a hope that after a lot of time passed and they started as friends again then maybe they could get back together.

"You'll let me know when...you want to try being friends again?" Audrey asked.

"I will, for now...I just need my space," Hunter replied, and she nodded as they noticed Shane coming towards the door.

"One more kiss? A-As a goodbye?" Audrey asked softly. Hunter knew he shouldn't. Gods he was aware that it was a horrible idea and yet, he couldn't deny her that one request. Hunter took a step towards her, cupped her cheek with his hand and wiped a falling tear away before leaning in close and pressing his lips to hers. Shane happened to see it and stopped dead in his tracks with wide eyes.

"What is it, Shane?" Renee asked, and Shane could only point as they hurried over and saw Hunter lip-locked with Audrey and pressing her against Shane's car, hands on her hips while her hands rested on his shoulders.

"Oh. My. God. Th-They're kissing..." Heather blinked.

"After he just broke up with her too," Caitlyn frowned. After a minute, Hunter pulled away slowly after a final kiss on her lips, and they could all tell he was fighting with himself just to retake everything and stay with her, continue the kissing. Audrey got in the car as Hunter took a few more steps away and Shane took the signal to move fast. Shane got into his vehicle and started it up, then backed away and drove off. Hunter took one hesitant step forward to chase after the car, but he stopped and looked at the ring in his palm then the tears formed in his eyes while remembering everything in quick flashbacks of their three years together, the last kiss they just shared.

That was all it took; Hunter hit his knees hard when the tears rolled down his face. Hunter brought a hand up to cover his eyes while he sat back on his butt with his knees up and just cried. Caitlyn, Sal, and Treyden didn't waste time; they quickly moved to comfort Hunter. The three of them knew it was probably that what Hunter did, break up with Audrey after planning to propose to her and learning she was pregnant and terminated the pregnancy, and just now kissing her was the hardest thing he'd ever done and would take a great deal of time to be okay again.


	34. Can't Stay

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Can't Stay

A month had passed since Hunter and Audrey's breakup, the day Hunter decided that he couldn't be with Audrey anymore because of many different factors that boiled right down to her not trusting Hunter and aborting their baby out of fear. While Hunter understood the fearfulness that Audrey held, she still killed their child and robbed him of the chance to be a father. Something that Hunter wanted to be and have, a family with Audrey and she took that away from him. Hunter couldn't forgive it, perhaps with more time he could but even now a month later, the pain continued. When Hunter broke down on the ground after Shane drove off with Audrey in his car, it took all of ten minutes before Hunter got up and just asked to be alone for a while.

The remainder of the weekend was spent with Hunter being in his room to think and heal however much he could that particular day. Everyone including Hunter knew it would take a lot of time to get over this even; it wasn't something that could be pushed aside quickly. Viola had been told what happened and warned by Salvatore and Caitlyn not to invoke Hunter's anger or pain by bringing it up or going after Audrey. When Monday came, Hunter returned to work though it wasn't hard to miss he was still hurting a lot. Treyden, Theo, and Andrew did what they could for him but not much helped in the beginning. As the month went on, Hunter began to get a little better.

The sadness seemed to fade from Hunter's green hues and he was managing to find a random smile from time to time while talking to his friends or hanging out with his family or texting the other friends from high school but never Audrey. It was only when Hunter was alone that the pain consumed him, the long lonely nights without holding the woman he loved close to his figure. Hunter missed it so much, their dates and the nights they spent together making love for hours and falling asleep in one another arms. Most evenings, Hunter would come home from work and take a shower then he would eat dinner, spend some time with his mom, dad, and sister. By 10:30 pm, he was lying awake in bed and trying to sleep but it didn't typically happen until midnight or later.

Many times Hunter wanted to message and call her, ask if they could hang out or he could just see Audrey and let things go as they did. No plans, no promises, just let it happen as it did to see if things were the same between them. However, when Hunter thought about the chance of returning to Audrey and them being together again, he remembered what she did, and the pain would come back, and he couldn't bring himself to ponder them being together right now. It was the beginning of October now, going on five weeks since the breakup and though he was doing better, there were still times it got to him, and he desired to be alone.

Caitlyn, Renee, Travis, Fisher, Heather, Drew, and Eddie were back to school, Audrey as well. Monday through Friday from 7 am to 2 pm as it was before and this was their last year too. Hunter spent his days at work, no longer taking the time to visit his friends on lunch break because he knew Audrey was there and wasn't sure if he was ready to face her again after so little time had passed since their goodbye. Hunter meant what he said, perhaps there could be a relationship between them once again but only after he had healed and they became friends first. That was how things started and Hunter felt if they could be friends again then there was the chance for them to be lovers again.

September had marked one year since Audrey got pregnant, December would mark when she had the abortion and Hunter wasn't sure how he would feel when that came around. For now, he was just taking each day as it came. Today was a Monday and he was working out of the Berkton military base doing some inventory and preparing a shipment of things to go to Fort Draco on Wednesday and another on Friday. Caitlyn had asked if Hunter was going to come by for lunch because everyone missed him since Hunter didn't visit them a lot with his hours making him go in early and home later and also exhausted too. Hunter had been contemplating it but never made a full decision if he would or not. It was nearing lunch time, he always got an hour maybe he could stop in for a little bit.

It would be the first time he stands in the same room as Audrey since the day at the house and like before, Hunter didn't know if he was ready to do that but also, Hunter knew he wouldn't know unless he tried. "Hunt? Hey, you alright?" Theo asked bringing Hunter from his thoughts.

"Yeah," Hunter replied slowly.

"Where should we go for lunch today? Mess hall, eat out?" Andrew asked the question again since Hunter didn't answer the first time.

"I don't know. I was...thinking about going to the school to see the others honestly," Hunter replied as the three of them looked at Hunter a little surprised.

"Are you ready for that my friend? You know that... _she'll_ be there, right?" Treyden inquired. Hunter sighed.

"I-I know but I can't...ignore her forever. I still love her even after what she did. The terms of the break up weren't that I stopped loving her, I just can't be with her while the pain she caused me still exists," Hunter informed.

"Hunter, what we're asking is if you're ready to be near her again so soon. We know you love her and want to be with her again, hopefully after the pain of what she did passes. You know something like this has to be done slowly, and I don't want to see you breakdown again. It's only been five weeks; I think you should wait a little more," Treyden put his hand on Hunter's shoulder. Sighing, Hunter knew he was right. It was too soon to see her face to face.

"Come on, bud. We'll hit Greg's for lunch, and we're going out this weekend too, Saturday night. You need some time with us," Theo smiled.

"You're right. Alright, we'll go to Gobber's," Hunter paused seeing them arch a brow at home. "Gregory. I'm the only one who calls him Gobber, I guess it's the only name I could say when I was old enough to talk and it just stuck. Shut up, don't judge me. And I suppose we can go out this Saturday," he added as they cheered and headed for the punch-clock to go to lunch.

(Saturday; 7:30 pm)

The boys had Sunday off so why not hang back for a few hours at the bar. Hunter was down for the idea, he could use some down time with his friends and a little alcohol. Maybe it would take his mind of Audrey for a bit? Who knew but he was going to try. Hunter got home from work, showered, then dressed in something comfortable while grabbing a bite to eat. Hunter told his parents he was going out with the guys and probably be home after midnight, also that Andrew was designated driver since he wasn't a big drinker and by chance they all got wasted, they'd stay at the motel across the street. Andrew arrived at 7:15 pm with Trey and Theo, they grabbed Hunter and were gone towards the local bar that was ten minutes away.

Reaching their destination, they were all ID'd and allowed in by the bouncer. The first place they went was to the bar for a round of shots, then a beer afterward. Treyden, Hunter, Andrew, and Theo grabbed a hightop table against the wall and sat down to relax.

"See, you needed this man," Andrew chuckled as Hunter nodded to him. Yeah, he did need it. The night went on calmly while the four friends enjoyed talking and drinking, nothing substantially strong. Around 8:45 pm, Hunter glanced to the door after seeing it open, and nothing prepared him to see Audrey walk in with Heather, Renee, and Caitlyn. Not far behind them were Drew, Shane, Travis, Eddie, and Fisher. Why the hell were they here? Especially, Caitlyn, she was only sixteen! No. No, absolutely not. Hunter didn't care what the others did, but his little sister was not going to be in a bar full of drunks.

"Hunt, what's wrong?" Treyden asked. Hunter never answered, he grabbed his beer and moved away from the table and towards the group firmly.

"What in the name of Odin are you doing here?" Hunter asked straight away as Caitlyn seemed to freeze nervously and bite her bottom lip.

"Hu-Hunter! I-I didn't know...you were going to be here," Caitlyn replied quickly.

"I'm here with the guys. I asked you what _you_ are doing here, Caitlyn. This no place for you. Are Mom and Dad aware of where you are?" Hunter asked now.

"No...They think I'm sleeping over at Heather's with Audrey and Renee," Caitlyn looked down. "Please don't tell them?" Caitlyn pleaded when she saw Hunter pull his phone out.

"Do-Don't tell them?! Cait, you're sixteen years old, in a bar when our parents think you're safe at a sleepover. Whose bright idea was this? Who drove you?" Hunter demanded.

"Please don't call them, Hunter. I swear I'll stay in your sights until we leave, I just want to enjoy the atmosphere a little. Please? I'll never ask anything of you again," Caitlyn begged her.

Hunter sighed out with closed eyes before finishing off his beer. "You stay at the table close to the guys and me and you better not go anywhere without telling me first. Understand?" he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Caitlyn saluted and hugged him.

"Alright, don't get cute. Water or soda only and don't take drinks from anybody but me," Hunter informed. Caitlyn nodded as Hunter led her to the eight-person table right next to the table he was sitting at with Treyden, Andrew, and Theo.

"So, we have company?" Theo chuckled watching the others come over behind Hunter, and he shot a look that said 'don't ask.' It was then that Treyden kicked Theo's leg under the table and motioned to Audrey in the group too. "Oh," This got awkward fast.

"Hunt, I'm grabbing a shot for the three of us. You in?" Andrew mentioned.

"Yeah, what are you getting?" Hunter asked.

"I dunno. Think we voted for Fireball, cool with you?" Treyden inquired, Hunter, nodded to him as Andrew headed for the bar and then Hunter motioned to Trey to keep an eye on Caitlyn who nodded understanding. Hunter followed after Andrew, five minutes later, both of them returned. Andrew carried three shots to their table as Hunter took his and placed down a sprite in front of his sister.

"Keep your hand on the top of your drink like this," Hunter showed her, "and do NOT let it out of your sight for any reason at all. If you do, throw it away," he added as Cait nodded showing she understood. Hunter backed up and returned to his table. "Well, there goes my night," he sighed.

"Nonsense, we can still relax, Hunt. Come on, let's do our shot," Theo smiled as the four of them raised their glasses and clinked them together, then took the shots back with ease and laughed. For nearly an hour, everything was calm. Hunter had lightened his drinking to keep an eye on Caitlyn and Audrey too, but she didn't know Hunter was making sure she was safe. A few times, the group of high school friends would get up to dance, but Hunter made sure that Audrey's and Caitlyn's drinks were sitting with him so no one could tamper with them.

"Doing alright?" Treyden asked Hunter.

"Yeah, just weird being around her," Hunter admitted with his head down and a sigh.

"It's probably gonna feel like that for a while," Treyden put a hand on Hunter's shoulder and patted it a few times. "It will get easier,"

"I hope you're right because I hate this," Hunter mumbled some with his eyes closed for a minute then got up to use the bathroom. Coming out a few minutes later due to the line, Hunter wasn't able to see Caitlyn or Audrey and that concerned him. "Where's my sister?" Hunter asked getting to the table where the others were.

"Dunno. She and Audrey went outside for some air saying it was hot in here," Travis responded. Hunter headed outside quickly and looked around for them.

"Don't touch her! She's just a young girl!" Hunter's eyes widened, that was Audrey's voice! Hunter moved to the side of the building where the alley way was to see a group of guys trying to get at Caitlyn, but Audrey was keeping them away. One of the males reached forward and pulled at Audrey's top as it ripped the shoulder and down the middle. Hunter hurried down and punched the one who had grabbed at Audrey.

"Hey, this ain't none of your business kid," stated another man.

"You keep your perverted, filthy hands off my sister and her friend or we'll have a problem. Are you both okay?" Hunter asked as Caitlyn and Audrey both nervously shook and nodded. Hunter noticed that Audrey's top was wide open showing her bra. Hunter took off his light sweatshirt and handed it to her. "You cover up and then we're all going back inside; you two are going home," he told them. The two frightened females did so as Hunter stayed behind them until they got to the door. That's when one grabbed Hunter by the shirt and shoved him into the wall, punched his face making Hunter's lip bleed, then was thrown through the bar's picture window where Hunter hit a table and rolled once before laying there.

Hunter coughed a few times as Treyden, Theo, and Andrew moved to him quickly to make sure he was okay. "Hunt? Hunter, answer me, are you alright?" Treyden asked kneeling beside his friend.

"Serves you right messing with us," the man who had punched him scoffed while pulling his gun and aiming at Treyden who hadn't seen it yet.

"Trey, move!" Hunter shoved him out of the way as the weapon fired and Hunter was stricken in the side. The bullet ripped through as Hunter hit the floor and cringing in pain, panting before his arm dropped and he went unconscious.

"Hunter!" Audrey and Caitlyn cried out. Treyden recovered and scrambled over to Hunter while taking off his sweater and holding it on Hunter's side. It wasn't long before sirens were heard, fellow bar patrons took it upon themselves to restrain the gaggle of men who were making a play for Caitlyn and Audrey, also the ones who attacked Hunter who was still unconscious but thankfully breathing with pressure on the wound. Police took the attackers, a few stayed to get statements and paramedics worked with Theo, Andrew, and Treyden to get Hunter in the ambulance and heading for the hospital.

Shane took it upon himself to take Audrey and Caitlyn home and tell Salvatore what happened. The rest of the night was waiting at the hospital waiting to hear about Hunter. By 11 pm, the ER doctor informed that Hunter was doing fine and in recovery, the bullet exited but left a pretty big gash that needed stitches and severe wrapping to close up. The recovering time would be about two months in full but after a week or so they could release him as long as he took it easy. And it was thanks to Treyden holding pressure why the situation wasn't worse than it was. Caitlyn was grounded for being at the bar, Audrey did get an update but she and Caitlyn were blaming themselves. If they hadn't been there, Hunter wouldn't have needed to protect them. That ended the night since Hunter was out cold.

(Month Later; November 2018)

Hunter was in the hospital three weeks total due to being shot in the side, plus a cracked rib, few bruises, split lip and some cuts on his head and arms from going through the bar window that night. Treyden scolded Hunter for getting shot to save him, Hunter explained that Treyden would be dead because the gun was aimed for Trey's heart and he couldn't do nothing. Hunter was released last week and thus far as the doctor ordered, to take it easy. Hunter was on bed rest, no lifting over five pounds, had to watch corners, and reapply the ointment and wrappings while the wound continued to heal. Hunter was off work until the doctor cleared him to at least come back on light duty which for Hunter meant behind a desk until he was completely healed up.

Today was a Friday; Viola was at work while Caitlyn attended school with the others. Salvatore was home and checking in on Hunter since he still complained of having pain. The doctors gave him something for that but he wasn't due for another one until dinner time, and it was only 2:30 pm right now. Still about three hours to go. Hunter was sleeping on the couch at the moment when Caitlyn came home from school with a guest. Sal hurried in and made sure they knew to be quiet because Hunter was asleep peacefully.

"Cait, you know you're supposed to ask before you bring people over, especially Audrey because of well, you know. Hello, Audrey, how are you doing?" Salvatore asked softly. It had been Hunter's wish that no animosity was held towards Audrey so Sal wouldn't be the one to cause trouble.

"Sorry, Dad. Audrey and I just got paired for a project in Home Economics about child care, so we have to take care of this robotic thing until after the New Year starts and we go back to school to start the second semester. Our class has an uneven number of boys and girls." Caitlyn sighed.

"Caitlyn and I have the joyous task of acting like a lesbian pairing to take care of little Jasper here. We're also supposed to figure out what the last name he takes since we're playing the role of an unmarried couple with a baby," Audrey explained, "And I'm okay. How is Hunter?" she inquired.

"Sleeping now, healing slowly. The doctor says he'll be okay in a few more weeks of rest and taking it easy," Salvatore replied.

"I still feel horrible about what happened. Hunter didn't have to protect me that night, he could have just gotten Caitlyn out of trouble," Audrey looked down.

"It's Hunter's nature, lass, he would have done it for a complete stranger too. What's important is that everyone is safe and sound now," Salvatore comforted. At the sound of voices, Hunter began to stir and awaken; then his eyes opened slowly looking around to focus on his surroundings. "Son, I'm sorry if we woke you. How do you feel?"

Hunter forced himself up to a sitting position, hissing in pain as he checked his side to make sure it didn't open up again as it happened once in the hospital during the second week. "Is it five yet because I could do with that pain killer," Hunter asked.

"It's only 2:30, son, I'm sorry," Salvatore answered as Hunter groaned a bit and then caught sight of Caitlyn home from school and then Audrey beside her and in her arms was a small baby doll.

"Hi big brother," Caitlyn hugged him carefully.

"Hey sis, what's all this about?" Hunter inquired.

"Oh! Audrey and I are playing the role of lesbian parents to this newly fostered baby boy. It's for Home Ec, the child's father was killed in a car accident, and the mother died giving birth. No family to take him, so it went to foster parents, Audrey and I have to act that part. So, meet Jasper. No last name yet, we didn't figure out if it should have mine or Audrey's," Caitlyn explained softly. Hunter didn't reply; his eyes were zeroing in on the robotic doll in Audrey's arms that she was rocking side to side.

Something about this...bothered him deeply. Seeing Audrey hold a newborn and be so motherly with it, it hurt him a little because if Audrey had given birth back in June, this would be them right now; having a family of their own. "From what I hear, they have to take care of it until the New Year," Salvatore added in as the baby began to whimper and Audrey tried to calm it down.

It was the beginning of November now, the New Year was two months away still and Hunter didn't think he could deal with this that long. Hunter sighed as he forced himself to his feet and moved to his room closing the door while making a phone call. "Trey, sorry to bug you at work," Hunter started the call while Sal and Caitlyn were listening, Audrey too. "No, I'm not alright and I'm calling in that favor you said you owed me," a slight pause. "Can I come live with you for a few months? If not, it's okay. I'll call one of the others or stay in a motel," Hunter informed as Sal and Caitlyn gasped a bit. "It's a long story but bottom line is that I can't be at my house for a while because of a project my sister and Audrey are paired for. I know it sounds stu-"

" _It's not stupid, Hunter. You don't have to tell me the whole reason, I get it. You can stay with me, that's fine. Come to the house unless you need me to pick you up? We're off early today, I have Theo and Andrew with me too,"_ Treyden replied, obviously now on speakerphone.

"I'll drive, see you in about fifteen minutes. Thanks, Trey," Hunter said then hung up and quickly packed a bunch of clothes into his black bag that he had used on deployment, then the personal care items into a ziplock and placed it in a side pouch on the bag. Next, Hunter grabbed his camo backpack to hold his laptop, tablet, chargers, and other electronics. Finally, using a duffle bag, Hunter packed his bed dressings into it. Doing one last check, he was satisfied he had what he wanted and exited the bedroom, shutting the door tightly. The last things he grabbed were his pain killers from the living room table and placed them in his pocket.

"Hunter, where are you going?" Caitlyn asked.

He never looked at them while carrying his stuff towards the living room door to get outside to his truck; Hunter stopped with a sigh. "I'm staying at Trey's until _this_ is over," he motioned to the robotic doll in Audrey's arms. "Sorry, it's just not something I'm ready to be around," Hunter admitted as he closed his eyes. Hunter moved past the door and carefully put his stuff in the truck, then got in the driver's side and started it up before backing out and heading down the road towards Treyden's place.

"I don't understand," Caitlyn looked at her father who glanced down softly.

"It's the situation that Audrey will be over a lot and you two taking care of that doll as parents and Hunter's not ready to see that because of what happened between Audrey and him," Salvatore explained. Audrey bit her bottom lip, so Hunter was still hurting pretty bad even after two months and she suspected that it would continue to take more time so long as the reminders were there. Hunter had been fine until he learned about the project but he was distancing himself so the pain wouldn't take over and make things unbearable.

(Fury Residence)

Hunter arrived and pulled up along the side of the road as Treyden, Theo, and Andrew came out to help him so he wouldn't have to carry so much weight at once since he wasn't allowed to. When the four were inside, Treyden set Hunter's things into the guest room while Hunter sat on the couch and just buried his head into his hands as Andrew and Treyden tried to comfort him. Hunter sighed, "I just couldn't stay at home,"

"Don't worry about it. You're always welcome with any of us, Hunter. You'll get through this and we'll be right here with you," Treyden replied.

"You guys are seriously my best friends in the entire world," Hunter found a small smile.


	35. Hunter's Decision

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Hunter's Decision

Salvatore and Caitlyn were sad to see Hunter leave that day, and worried because he was hurt and had been carrying those bags by himself when he wasn't supposed to be lifting more than five pounds of weight at a time and certainly not supposed to be straining himself or the stitches could bust again. However, Hunter hadn't been worried about it at the time. All he knew is that a project was going to have his ex-girlfriend and sister working together with taking care of a fake child for three months and Hunter was not ready to be around such. It wasn't seeing Audrey; Hunter had come to handle that. It was seeing her be so motherly to a robotic doll that was portrayed as her child with Caitlyn, fostered but nevertheless. The point Hunter made clear was that he couldn't see that sight. If Audrey hadn't terminated the pregnancy in which she carried hers and Hunter's baby, it would be them raising their child together and knowing that Audrey did what she did, robbing Hunter of the chance to be a father, seriously hurt him.

When Viola came home at 5 pm to see Audrey, Caitlyn, and Sal sitting quietly, she asked where Hunter was so Salvatore told her the truth about Hunter leaving because he admitted to not being able to handle the project Caitlyn and Audrey were paired for that involved caring for a doll as it's parents. Audrey tried to say they could do the project at her house but Sal insisted it was fine, that it might do Hunter some good to be with friends and have some distance between them. Audrey understood but still felt bad, and this was entirely her fault. Over at Treyden's, Hunter told his friends what happened and how it made him feel. The three understood why Hunter wanted to get out of there as fast as he was able, to prevent the pain from taking over and putting him back at square one with healing from the heartbreak.

When Treyden's father, Dustin Fury returned home from work, Trey explained why Hunter was there and also that he'd be using the guest room for a few months to deal with some personal matters. Dustin didn't mind at all and just said to Hunter for him to make himself feel at home and if there was anything he could do to help, let him know. Hunter was grateful of course; it made him feel blessed to know he had amazing friends who would just put him up for a few months on a moments notice. Hunter's choice to temporarily move had been a smart one. Hunter was feeling better with the distance between him and Berkton since Treyden lived in Bashwick, it was fifteen minutes from Hunter's hometown, and no one knew where Treyden lived except Striker One which only had Conner, Nikolas, Amber, Trey, Theo, Andrew, and Hunter on it now.

Hunter had been informed that soldiers were being trained to fill the positions because the company as a whole was under the minimum requirement to be considered a company. So many people had died, committed suicide, or were discharged on account of mental status and illness. It was incredible to think that Plasma Fire had ninety-six soldiers, not including Asher, Harry, Caleb, or Brady. Hunter did learn that the old Drill Sergeants he and the others had for Basic and AIT were still around. But they remained at Fort Draco for the sole purpose of training new recruits and the first Conqueror platoon leader who Asher took over for had changed to reserves or part time duty to spend more time with his new wife and start a family.

The group of recruits at Fort Draco now would be done just before Christmas time and then sectioned off to fill spots for Plasma Fire or any other company that was lacking in numbers. From what Hunter understood Plasma Fire would be growing from ninety-six to an even one hundred and twenty so there would now be thirty soldiers per the four platoons that made up the company. Hunter wasn't sure how he felt about that given he had trouble watching twenty-four or even just twelve at a time. Nevermind adding more soldiers to be in charge of, but Hunter supposed that it didn't matter as he didn't have to watch them so long as they were deploying overseas again and Harry confirmed that they were not scheduled for any rotations and all other deployment zones were under control for the time being.

Knowing that was some comfort to Hunter since he was still healing from two things. The heartbreak from Audrey killing their baby and the wounds from the night at the bar. Harry had taken some time to process because he didn't understand what the hell had happened until Hunter broke it down into saying that perverts were trying to take advantage of his ex-girlfriend and little sister so Hunter stepped in, got beat up, thrown through a window, then took a bullet meant for Treyden. Harry was not pleased, to say the least, but the guys who attacked and shot Hunter were all in trouble and all facing some time behind bars, Hunter had not yet heard how long because it was going by the involvement of who did what which required witnesses and victim statements. This was another time where Hunter had to be in Audrey's presence.

It wasn't that he hated her, Hunter very much still loved Audrey but right now he couldn't look past what she did even being that it was almost four months later since the break up that happened at the end of August and almost a year since the procedure. December 15th, 2018 would mark that unfortunate day. Currently, it was the start of December 2018. A month had passed since Hunter left his parents house to stay with Trey for a bit but he still saw them often like when he was in town for check-ups on his side and other injuries, plus he had been there for Thanksgiving. Hunter had enjoyed that since he missed it last year due to the tour. Hunter hoped he could enjoy Christmas too since he missed two years of those for the same reason as Thanksgiving.

Another Even Hunter was excited for, he would be turning nineteen in February, and he was home to celebrate with his family this year, well, technically, next year since it would be 2019 when it happened. Hunter was doing alright with things, the distance helped but lately, something had changed. Hunter didn't even think about the pain Audrey caused him when he was hanging out with Treyden, the man went out of his way to make sure Hunter was all set before he did anything else. Hunter's wound was almost healed now, but the past month, Treyden acted like a male nurse to him with ensuring the wound didn't get infected, was properly wrapped, and cared for. At first, Hunter thought it was a bit weird but came to get used to it and sometimes even asked for help. Hunter didn't quite understand what was going on, but he knew that he was beginning to feel differently about Treyden, as in more than a friend.

This didn't bother Hunter a lot; he was bisexual not that anyone but his father knew though. Hunter was well aware his mother didn't like bisexuals, gays, or lesbians. And that bugged Hunter because he was bisexual and never said anything in fear of his mother being judgmental and unsupportive even when Sal told him many times not to be afraid. So far, Hunter hadn't been in the situation where it mattered if she knew or not. However, developing feelings for Treyden could be a cause to come out of the proverbial shell about his sexuality. At the same time, Hunter knew that Trey was straight or so he assumed since Trey had never said otherwise and Hunter never mentioned his status to anyone either. They, unfortunately, lived in a society where many didn't like it and thought it was unnatural.

The reason for Hunter's wound not being completely healed was because he did slightly bust the stitches and end up with a small infection for two days then be restitched. That alone backed his recovery up by two weeks at least so now in that time; he would be alright. It was still sore and hurt if he bumped it hard or twisted too fast. Today was Friday, Hunter was back to work on desk duty, but that was okay with him. However, it was rolling at lunch time, and he hadn't seen his sister since Thanksgiving so maybe today would be a good for going to see her at the school for an hour. Well, it would be forty minutes since a ten-minute drive back and forth to the Berkton base.

"Hunt, there ya are," came Treyden's voice as Hunter smiled and put down the file he was reading.

"I've been in the same place for six weeks now. What's up?" Hunter asked him.

"We're heading gonna go out for lunch, wanna join? We haven't picked a spot yet though," Treyden invited.

"I was gonna go to the school. I haven't see Cait since Thanksgiving, and she's been asking if I'll come to her at home, but I don't like being there when Audrey and that robotic thing is too," Hunter admitted.

"Fair enough. Want me to come with you? I've noticed you stay smiling and distracted when the guys and I are with you," Trey smiled. This is what Hunter seemed to be drawn to, Treyden's fantastic ability to know what worked and what didn't. It was true; Hunter didn't think about the pain with Treyden, Theo, and Andrew present.

"You don't have to, Trey. I'm sure the guys don't wanna chill at the school for forty minutes," Hunter chuckled a bit.

"We don't care. Besides, we think it's hilarious how jealous your other friends get seeing the four of us together," Treyden replied.

"Well, if you want to come. I'm leaving here at noon," Hunter informed as Trey nodded, patted Hunter's back, then left the office as Hunter only smiled softly watching Treyden walk away. Gods, when did he develop such a crush on his best friend? Hunter wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

(High School)

Treyden met Hunter by his truck at 12:00 pm then by 12:10, they had arrived at the school. Theo and Andrew were going with Conner for tacos so it was just Hunter and Treyden alone. After parking and getting signed in, they headed towards the cafeteria and Hunter scanned the room for his sister and friends. Finally, he spotted them and walked over with a smile.

"HUNTER! Oh, my Gods, you came!" Caitlyn said excitedly when she saw him and of course, that came with a big hug too.

"Ah, Cait! Be easy," Hunter hissed as Caitlyn quickly let go stepped back, afraid that she hurt him.

"Did they bust again?" Treyden asked with concern. Hunter gave a bored look and motioned to the fact he was wearing his ACU so he wouldn't know. "Take the coat off and let me see. You know we can't screw around with your wound because if it opens and gets infected again, you're right back to the hospital," he sighed. Hunter rolled his eyes and took the coat off then lifted the side of his shirt so Treyden could look. Though secretly, Hunter didn't mind one bit.

"Am I good?" Hunter remarked.

"Don't be an ass because I care. This happened at the end of October, and you have two weeks left before you're considered to be fully healed, and back to full duty at work, I don't want to see it get worse before then," Treyden huffed.

"Trey, I'm good. The wound is closed now, it's just sore as shit, and I can't take the pain killer because it makes me tired which I don't need to be at work. Stop worrying so much," Hunter smiled while tucking his shirt back in.

"Hunter, you took a bullet meant for me, and we weren't even on the battlefield. You could have died that night," Treyden closed his eyes. Hunter put his hand on Treyden's shoulder which made him look at Hunter again.

"I could have died a lot of times since I've joined the army and that's just a risk I chose to take when I signed the contract. Trey, it doesn't matter if we're fighting a war or right here in town. I see someone I care about in trouble, I'm gonna step in to stop it. Even if it means I have to die to do it. I got myself involved with those people because they were trying to rape my little sister and Audrey. Why did I jump in? Because I protect the people, I care about. You're one of my best friends, Treyden and my battle buddy. You've always had my back," Hunter now raised his hand up to Treyden with a smile, "and I will have yours until I take my last breath,"

"Jeeze man, make me cry why don't you?" Treyden laughed a little as he brought his hand up to Hunter's and they connected them tightly, then hugged. "You're my best friend too, Hunt. Thank you for saving my life,"

"I couldn't have saved yours if you hadn't saved mine first, so thank you," Hunter replied.

"You two want a set of rings to go with those marriage vows?" Eddie snickered with Drew.

"Fuck off, Edward," Hunter retorted knowing that Eddie _hated_ to be called that name. Hunter knew it too because Eddie tightened his fist. "Don't be jealous that I got friendships much stronger than yours with people who have my back,"

"Seriously, get a room if you start making out next," Drew added.

"I'll keep that in mind," Treyden chuckled as Hunter blinked a few times. Had Treyden actually just said that?

"Ew. Oh my Gods, don't even joke like that. I can't bear the thought of my brother being gay," Caitlyn shook her head, and Hunter couldn't help but listen closer as Treyden, and he released hands and then from the hug. "My mother would probably have a heart attack at the news," That one hurt a little to hear, Hunter wouldn't lie about that. So Caitlyn was against people of a different sexual orientation too. Great, because that didn't make things harder if Hunter decided to pursue something with Treyden. Nothing had been decided, but if the chance happened to come across him, he wouldn't pass it up.

"What are you worried about, Caitlyn? Hunter's not gay, for Odin's sake we all know he's had sex before. Either way, it's not your place to judge him," Shane informed. "But you...aren't gay, right, Hunter?" Suddenly, all eyes were on Hunter.

"No, I'm not," Hunter replied. _'Though, I am bisexual and won't tell you because you're all a bunch of judgemental dicks except for Shane, Renee, Fisher, and Audrey,'_ he thought a little sadly.

"And don't tell them to get a room. Last time someone said that to Hunter, he did it. We listened to him, and Audrey go at it for two hours straight," Heather shivered at the reminder. When Hunter came home from Iraq and got ticked off with his mom so Audrey tried to talk to him, and the two had sex long, hard, and loud with everyone there and didn't give a damn either. Travis, Renee, Caitlyn, and Shane tensed up seeing Hunter flinch at the mention of something _him and Audrey_ related. "Oops," Heather quickly covered her mouth.

"You know what? It's...fine. You guys don't have to be all weird and cautious about it. It's been four months, I'm...pretty settled with everything, and it's not going to hurt me to be reminded of things that Audrey and I did at one point. So, I thank you for the consideration, but it's okay," Hunter stated as they all looked at him a little surprised.

"It doesn't...bother you anymore?" Audrey asked gently, and Hunter looked at her.

"It's...always going to bother me, Audrey, because of the nature of which happened. I won't remake mention of those things because it does still hurt. But I've hit a point where I know it hurts and I'll never forget, but I can move on and keep living my life," Hunter walked over to her now as she stood up to meet him so he wouldn't have to kneel or crouch and be in pain. "What I'm saying is that I forgive you. I still don't trust you, that will still take some time but, I do forgive you, and if you're...up for it, I'd like to try and be friends again. What do you say?" he asked holding his hand out to her.

Audrey smiled lightly as she placed her hand in his and they shook gently. "I would really like that, Hunter. Thank you," she replied as the two smiled softly before releasing their hands. The rest of the lunch break with everyone sitting at the table and talking about whatever. Hunter felt good that he'd forgiven Audrey but still needed to work on trusting her and that would be up to her to prove to Hunter that he could so, for now, they were just friends, and things were starting to looking they would be okay again.

(Sunday; January 28th, 2018)

Hunter was completely healed and still living with Treyden. Christmas and the New Year had been incredible now that there was no animosity between Audrey and Hunter. The two of them were still friends and back to talking and texting just like how it had been before they started dating the first time. In truth, Hunter and Audrey had gone out on a few outings with just them. Not so much dates, just friends to talk about how it used to be. Hunter still had feelings for her and Audrey possessed feelings for Hunter too; it showed when Hunter could see that she was trying to be open, truthful, and loyal by always being available if he wanted to talk or hang out. Hunter trusted her again, and initially, he told himself after the breakup that if Audrey managed to prove the things she said she could do, they might get back together.

Thus far, such had happened. However, there was just one problem. Hunter's developing feelings for Treyden were continuously growing, and Hunter was faced with deciding who he wanted to pursue; Treyden or Audrey. Hunter didn't know what to do; the choice should be easy. Audrey because that was his girlfriend of three years, the woman he was going to marry and have a family with until she did get pregnant, then got scared and had an abortion. Plus she lied to Hunter about the birth control. Hunter loved Audrey and had been hoping for the chance to get to ask her out again when he was sure he could trust her. Now he could, and he was hesitating because Treyden had also gone above and beyond the call of friendship to be there for Hunter.

Hunter tried to see if Treyden was at least bisexual but so far, Treyden hadn't dropped any hints about such so that immediately put a damper on his ideas of pursuing Trey. It was a hopeless cause if the man wasn't bi and Hunter hadn't been shown otherwise so he had to assume that Treyden was straight which meant Hunter shouldn't waste his time waiting to find out when there was someone else waiting for him and that girl was someone Hunter also cared deeply for. Things wouldn't be instant of course; there was still hesitation to dating Audrey again. Hunter knew they would not be picking up where they left off; it would be a fresh slate for them. She and Hunter needed to talk about this; the time was 8:30 pm, surely she was home and still awake.

Hunter got his phone and dialed Audrey's number, he put it on speakerphone and listened as it rang. Finally, on the fifth, it connected. _"Hi, Hunter. Sorry, I didn't pick up right away, I just got out of the shower since there's school tomorrow,"_ Audrey answered while panting.

"It's okay, Audrey. Relax, I'm sure you would have called back afterward. Are you dressed or still in the towel?" Hunter asked curiously.

" _Uh, still in the towel. Gimme five seconds to get dressed,"_ Audrey said quickly.

"Okay," Hunter laughed a little as the phone on her end was put down, and he heard her racing around to get her clothes on, and then she lifted it again.

" _There, all dressed. So, how are you?"_ Audrey greeted.

"I'm alright, how about you?" Hunter replied gently.

" _I'm great. What do I owe the pleasure of the call? Or are you just bored?"_ Audrey inquired with a giggle.

"Well, I am bored, but I had a reason for calling. I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in going out with me next Friday for dinner, say around 7:30 pm?" Hunter questioned, and it went quiet on her end.

" _Sure, who else is coming?"_ Audrey asked.

"No one. I meant...just us, Audrey. You know, like a date?" Hunter tried again. At that moment, Treyden was walking by Hunter's semi-closed door to hear him ask Audrey out on a date for next Friday.

" _A-A date? U-Um, yeah, I'd love to, Hunter,"_ Audrey answered cheerfully.

"Awesome. I'll pick you up at 7:15 then," Hunter smiled with some relief that she agreed, not like he had many doubts she would say no after he had mentioned it was a date.

" _I can't wait. Ca-Can I just ask what the occasion is, s-so I know what to wear?"_ Audrey pushed a little.

"Dress in something nice, not formal or semi though. The occasion, Milady, is that I thought maybe we could talk about...getting back together," Hunter admitted, there was no sense in lying about his intentions. Treyden's eyes widened a little; Hunter was taking Audrey on a date so they could talk about getting back together? For some reason that Trey didn't understand, this bothered him. "Nothing official yet, Audrey. That's why I said we needed to talk first," Hunter suddenly stated. "Alright, I'm gonna go and grab a shower myself. I'll text you later, kay?" a pause, "Bye," Hunter ended the call after that and took a deep breath. Yes, this was his decision; he wanted to be with Audrey again.


	36. Drunken Desires

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Drunken Desires

~Treyden's POV~

I don't think I'd ever been more shocked to discover that night Hunter asked Audrey out on a date so they could talk about getting back together. I was beside myself, of course, I wanted him to be happy, and Hunter had said there might be a chance of Audrey and him being a couple again if she proved she could be trusted and communicate with Hunter. I had to assume Hunter felt like she showed such things and that was the reason for asking her out. I couldn't quite put my finger on why it bothered me though, Hunter is my best friend, and I should support his decision fully, and I'm sure if he ever found out I didn't, it would be the end of our friendship. I wouldn't hurt him as his mother had in the past with not supporting his wants and decisions. I wouldn't do that to Hunter.

Still, something about Hunter being with Audrey again sparked something in me that I didn't like. Was it jealousy? No. Why would I be jealous of Hunter in a relationship with the woman he was going to marry? I wasn't. I suppose I was just afraid that Audrey would hurt him again and I didn't want to see Hunter suffer anymore, he deserved to be happy and if Audrey gave him that, who was I to stop it? I wasn't and wouldn't. When Hunter got off the phone that night, he took a shower and ended up going to bed since we had work in the morning. The evening of the date came, and Hunter left promptly at 6:55 pm to get Audrey on time for 7:15 pm so they would make the location for 7:30.

I don't know what happened on the date or what was talked about, but Hunter came home at 9 pm happy as ever so I asked him how it went and he announced that Audrey and he were dating again, that it felt great. I don't know where the pain came from, but I got a small twinge of pain in my chest when he said what he did. I brushed it off and told him I was happy for him. Hunter went on to explain how the talk went, that they agreed to take things slow and no sex for a while. Hunter said that at the end of the date while dropping her off at home, he decided to go for it and ask Audrey to be his girlfriend again and of course, she said yes. Hunter also made mention that they weren't jumping right back into the promise or engagement ring bits of where things left off back in August 2018 when the breakup occurred.

I didn't know what it was but seeing Hunter and Audrey together did make me wicked jealous. Yeah, I would admit that I was. No one knew this about me but I was gay, and the only two people who knew were my parents. Well, Mom when she was alive at least. I've never had a partner, lover, or feelings for anyone. That was until Hunter came to stay with me in November 2018. I don't know when it happened either, I but I hated seeing him upset and hurt. I took care of him while he healed, we had long talks about life, he said those broad statements about me being his best friend and would always have my back as I've had his. It was the nicest thing anyone has ever told me and it had so much meaning behind it.

I had feelings for Hunter, but I didn't know how he felt towards me, probably just friendship. Hunter was dating Audrey now; they had been together for a month. I assumed Hunter is straight since he's never shown me otherwise so how can I pursue such a thing. Hunter and I were friends, and that's all we'd ever be. I had to accept that and keep living my life, the only way I could stay close to Hunter was by remaining his best friend and being there when he needed me.

We were now at the end of February 2019; it was the 28th, the day before Hunter's birthday. Well, assumed one since the 29th wouldn't come around for another year in 2020. It's a Wednesday, Audrey is sick with food poisoning. Hunter is still living with me, and come to find out that Hunter was about to have a lonely birthday. I just heard him get off the phone with his Dad who informed him that they had to go out of town until the weekend for some family thing and knew Hunter wouldn't be able to get the time off that fast. Hunter understood, but I knew when my friend was upset. I wasn't going to let his birthday be miserable! I grabbed my keys and told him I'd be right back, I got in my car and headed for the liquor store.

~Hunter's POV~

I wish that I could say things with Audrey and me were okay since becoming a couple again, but I can't. It started out alright; we were both happy, content, on the same page about taking things slow and not rushing back to the place we were before the breakup with being promised to one another. However, I knew Audrey well. Audrey wanted to be engaged, pick up where we were going to be before I found out about the lies and secrets. I couldn't bring myself to start us back there, though I said she earned my trust back, I was still hesitant. I gave the girl my everything for three years and she hurt me in a way I didn't think she could ever do, but she did.

Audrey and I have been together a month now, and it just isn't the same. I was hoping to talk to Dad about things but as I just found out; my grandmother, Gigi Elderman( _Gothi_ ), fell and broke her leg, so my parents and sister were off to Peacefield until the weekend to make sure she was okay and got settled in with a home care nurse until her leg healed. I was told I would get an update when they arrived and got more details. So, it happened at a bad time because with all this going on with Audrey I was feeling kind of down. Also, tomorrow would technically mark me being nineteen years old, and now it appeared I'm spending my birthday alone because Audrey is sick with food poisoning, the doctor said it would take a day or two to clear up. Caitlyn and my family were out of town until Friday night but promised we'd do something on Saturday. The rest of my friends were busy with games, dates, or had other plans.

I heard Treyden say he would be right back, no clue where he was going at 7:45 on a Wednesday night but I guess it wasn't my business. I still had feelings for him, and maybe that's why things didn't feel right with Audrey anymore because I liked someone else. Oh well, what could I do? I didn't want to hurt Audrey by leaving again and saying I wasn't happy even though that was exactly the truth. Tonight it was just Treyden and I since his Dad was busy and said he'd be home late, of course, no Treyden wasn't here so what should I to do? Maybe I'd just get something to eat, take a hot shower, and go to bed. My birthday was shaping up to be shitty this year.

~Normal POV~

Hunter exited his temporary room and shut the door while moving to the kitchen to make a snack while pondering how long he'd be at Treyden's. Initially, Hunter said just a few months until the project between Caitlyn and Audrey was over but that ended in January when the holiday break was over, and students returned to school. Now it was the end of February and Hunter was still living there. Why? Hunter was comfortable around Treyden, but Hunter knew he'd have to go home at some point. Hunter grabbed the bread and started to make a sandwich when the door opened, and Treyden came in.

"Oh, good. You came out of the room, now we can have some fun," Treyden greeted.

"It's your house man, you could have dragged me out if you wanted to," Hunter chuckled a little and saw Treyden put the few bags down on the table. "What did you pick up?"

"Stuff to make sure you don't have a miserable birthday tonight with everyone being busy except me, so I hope you don't mind spending it with me. I grabbed chips, dip, and alcohol to enjoy while we listen to music, watch comedy, or Archi's Funniest," Trey admitted with a smile.

"You didn't have to do all this for me, Trey," Hunter replied while Treyden pulled out the bag of chips and dip, then a small bottle of Southern Comfort, two shot glasses, and a twelve pack of Archian Mead bottles.

"Nonsense! It's your birthday, and I'm not letting you spend it alone in your room so help me bring this shit to my room since it's bigger. You need this, you've been looking little down lately," Treyden remarked. Hunter rolled his eyes and grabbed the mead and his sandwich while Trey took the rest and they went to Treyden's room to set it all up. "It works out because I have the table to put it on, the TV, and a bigger garbage to throw away the trash," he added.

"If you insist," Hunter replied while Treyden worked on putting it out for easy access. Treyden poured them both a double shot and handed one to Hunter.

"Happy Birthday, Hunter," Treyden raised his glass a little to Hunter.

"Happy Birthday to me," Hunter smiled as they touched the glasses together then drank the shots back and laughed a little. "You're right, I needed this," he finally said putting his cup down.

(Three Hours Later)

11 pm, six shots and four beers in for each of them, they were hammered but having the best time of their lives. There was some music going; TV was off as they were just sitting on Treyden's bed talking about whatever random topic came to mind.

"Y-You know, Hunt. I been wonderin' why yew been so down lately?" Treyden asked. "Thought you be over da moon bein' with her again," he added.

Hunter sighed some while finishing his fourth beer and tossing the bottle into the garbage and surprisingly made it the shot. "It not tha same. Dun get me wrong, I luv 'er but I hesitate doin' things I know she wants," Hunter admitted.

"Like havin' sex and stuff? She wanna be engaged and plannin yer guys' weddin'?" Treyden inquired.

"Yeah, 'zactly dat. I told 'her from the beginnin' that we were takin tings slow and she said dat was cool with her but she shows different," Hunter closed his eyes. "I dunno. Sometimes, I tink we were betta friends than lovers again,"

"You ain't happy wiff 'er 'cuz ya know wat she did to yew. You forgive but not forget," Trey put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Da fear she hurt yew again keep you from bein' happy wiff her. It neva be same, Hunt,"

"What I do den? I feel like an ass if I leave after everyting," Hunter replied. "I chose 'er 'cuz I love her but as a friend, notin' more. I feel like...I can't 'ive her my love,"

"Why you say dat?" Treyden questioned. Hunter rolled his head over to face Treyden, eyes glossed over from the alcohol and Treyden's were the same.

"Pomise not to tell anyone?" Hunter asked and Trey nodded to him once. "Kay. It 'cuz I-I started likin' someone else while Audrey and me were boken up,"

"I know dis otha person?" Trey inquired. "And if like this otha, why with Audrey then?"

"Ya do know. I pick Audrey 'cuz otha person dun feel same for me or I dunno. " Hunter admitted to him.

"What yuu mean 'ya dunno' if dis otha persen feel same fer yew?" Treyden arched a brow while finishing his beer, then grabbing them both another shot to down together. "Yuu tell and dey bail or sometin?"

"Neva told. Afraid to lose the friendship we have. I'm say something dat only my Dad knows. I bi and person I like is straight, or I think at least, nothin to say othawise," Hunter looked away.

"Well, I tink yuu shuld leave Audrey if ya aren happy wif her. And yuu should tell other persin straight out you like them. You got more ball den me, Hunt. If we sharin' secrets that only family know, I'm gay, and like a guy who with someone else and don't say notin 'cuz he's happy," Trey admitted. "Least you got to do it all. Have someon to love, kiss, hold, make love. Most I dun is maserbate and I bettin it don't feel the same as the real ting," he chuckled while the two had their shot, making the total seven now.

"Work til yuu have sex, den it don't compare," Hunter told him.

"I believe ya. Still, least you got to experence wiff someon yew care about. Yuu do still?" Trey asked.

"Do wat? Masturbate? Sometimes, depend on mood at time. Had lot goin' on since August with bakeup, then healin, stayin 'ere. Been a few monts since last time," Hunter shrugged. "Don be so down, Trey. Jus go wit it like I hav. Aud and me neva panned havin' sex, just happen. Caught in moment, I only tole 'er yes cuz I tought she had protection fer herself, but she lied 'bout it," he added in.

"I know, I been jus waitin. Sucks be nineteen and have no experience in anythin' but a job. I neva even been kissed or kissed someone else," Trey closed his eyes slowly. Hunter looked over at his friend through the haze of his slipping vision, then he put his shot glass down and took Treyden's from him. Hunter moved closer to Treyden as the shifting on the bed made Treyden look at Hunter but before Trey could ask why Hunter was so close; Hunter pressed his lips to Treyden's softly. Trey's eyes widened at first, but then they closed as he fell into it. Hunter adjusted himself to have his legs on either side of Treyden's legs while deepening the kiss more by sliding his tongue into Trey's mouth and running it along Treyden's which earned a light groan before Hunter pulled back, and Trey almost whimpered when it stopped.

"It yuu, Trey," Hunter said gently.

"Wat me?" Treyden inquired confused and very much wanted Hunter's lips against his again.

Hunter smiled a little, "One I like,"

"Yew who I like," Treyden replied as he leaned up and kissed Hunter who returned it fully while lowering himself to lay on top of Treyden.

 **(Hunter &Treyden Lemon)**

If the two of them were sober, this would not be happening. Such wasn't the case since there were four beers and seven shots of Southern Comfort involved with their confession of feelings to liking one another. To think all it took was Hunter kissing Treyden after finding out that the man had never been kissed before. Neither expected it would turn into this but now so caught in the moment; they didn't care about tomorrow morning or the fact they were supposed to work at 5 am. The alarms were set, but with all the alcohol consumption this evening, it wasn't looking to be a promising morning they'd go in.

It started with just kissing that turned into making out and then the clothes began to get taken off. Now, Hunter andTreyden both in their boxers, the rest of their clothes had been removed and thrown to the floor in any which direction. Hunter was laying over Trey, and the two of them were hard and knew it as their hips were rocking in rhythm causing their lengths to rub together through the fabric of their underwear while still locked in deep kisses. Treyden was moaning, he wanted more, to feel everything Hunter was willing to give him. Hunter was also enjoying it; there was something different in doing things like this with Treyden as opposed to Audrey. Hunter didn't care at the moment; it felt amazing. It felt...right.

Hunter pulled his lips from Treyden's while moving the kisses along his cheek and eventually to his neck which only elicited a louder moan. Hunter's hand slipped down the front of Trey's body and into his boxers to stroke his cock slowly. "A-Ah, Hunter," Trey panted a little. Hunter smiled and looked at Treyden now after kissing his lips once.

"Feel good?" Hunter asked as Treyden managed a single nod, wanting him to keep going. Hunter removed his hand then scooched himself down more to have better access to Trey's lower body. First, Hunter removed his boxers since they were bothering him and then Hunter hooked his fingers on Treyden's boxer waistline and pulled them down slowly while kissing down Trey's chest and midsection until he reached the head of Trey's cock and ran his tongue over it making Treyden shudder at the feeling. Hunter spit in his hand once then placed his hand gently around the hardened appendage of his friend and began to move it up and down, allowing the spit to spread around and making the stroking easier.

"Oh, w-wow," Treyden breathed while relaxing on the bed. Hunter continued his actions using only his hand at first; then he decided to push the envelope by bringing his hand to the base of Treyden's cock the back upward and around the head making Trey buck a little and tilt his head at the feeling. Finally, Hunter lowered his mouth and started swirling his tongue at the tip before beginning to suck on Trey's length making his gasp and moan louder, gripping the bed sheets tightly from the feeling it gave Trey. After five minutes, Hunter began to stroke and suck faster, and Trey found it harder to hold back releasing. "Hu-Hun..ter...I'm gonna...cum," he managed.

Hunter pulled back his mouth and continued stroking until Treyden pulled at the sheets and started moving his hips in time with Hunter's strokes and eventually bucked hard and came. It shot up a little and then dribbled down onto Hunter's hand which slowed it's movements then stopped and let go while Trey struggled to catch his breath but Hunter wiped his hand on the bed and shifted upward to kiss Trey again, and of course, he returned such. They were soft kisses with a little tongue included, Treyden lifted his legs some and wrapped them around Hunter's waist which took Hunter by surprise because now his length was at Treyden's rear. Was Trey asking Hunter to fuck him?

Treyden blushed a bit and turned his head to the side with embarrassment. Perhaps some of the alcohol was wearing off because it was hitting a point where they knew what was going on. Hunter backed up out of the leg grip as he looked at Trey carefully then spit in his hand a few times before placing it at Treyden's rear hole and getting him lubed up. "Hang on," Hunter told him as he got off the bed and moved out into the hall slowly, staggering to keep his balance while getting to his room and grabbing something from the nightstand drawer then returning. "This...work better," he said holding up the small bottle of lube. Hunter got some in his hand to put on Trey before starting with his finger.

Trey had done reading about the subject of having anal sex for if the situation ever arose that he would be doing it. Trey also knew that Hunter has had sex before and likely to know what he's doing. However, Treyden knew that a first time could be painful if not done slowly, so it made sense to him barely why Hunter got lube and was now using his finger. It was a new feeling for sure and would take some adjusting, but right now, Hunter was just teasing the rim to relax Trey. Hunter continued his actions with the hole before slowly sliding his finger in, and Treyden tensed up with a hiss.

"Ssh, it okay. Breathe," Hunter instructed softly as Trey took a few breaths and tried to relax. When the hole tightness let up, Hunter started pumping his finger in and out slowly while using the other hand to stroke Trey's length more and bring back some of the feelings he enjoyed previously. After this had happened, Trey's moans began once again, and Hunter added a second finger while moving faster but it didn't bother Trey at all.

"Gods!" Trey gasped out. A few moments of this before Hunter withdrew his fingers from Treyden then got on one of his condoms, sex was sex, and he'd always use one unless decided before hand it was safe to do it without. Once that was on, Hunter added a little more lube to Trey's rear and then onto the condom.

"Flip over on your...hands n' knees, babe," Hunter said as Treyden fixed his legs and rolled over, now propped up on his hands and knees, ass facing Hunter. "Try to relax," he encouraged gently as Treyden nodded while Hunter moved in closer to him, then pressed his head into Treyden's rear slow then continued to inch in or pull out and start again to relax the tight muscles of Treyden's ass. After two minutes or so, Hunter was in full and massaged Treyden's back to help him adjust to the feeling of being penetrated. Hunter started to thrust easily while stroke Treyden's cock to add more pleasure. It was long before Trey began moaning and Hunter picked up speed and force to test the waters of what Treyden liked.

"Ah, Hunt...Yes!" Treyden panted out as Hunter's hands moved to Trey's hips to allow him to go harder and faster. Hunter loved it, so did Treyden. Shit-faced or not, it felt incredible and so right even though it was wrong in every sense of the word. For starters, they were drunk. Secondly, Hunter was still with Audrey and having sex with Treyden, and it was likely that neither of them would remember they agreed to this come tomorrow morning. At the same time, they didn't care. Treyden and Hunter went at it for an hour, just the fucking alone. Hunter even got bold when they were close to cumming, and let Treyden do him with the spare condom that Hunter had in his wallet on the floor in his pants. Hunter thought they might as well be fair in work and let Treyden experience being in control.

It was nearing 1:15 am before the two switched back to Hunter thrusting into Trey while he was on his back and legs draped over Hunter's arms. Both of them were sweating, the bedsheets were a mess, and out of place, Trey was stroking himself, and Hunter was about at his breaking point with being unable to hold back any longer. "Fuck. Trey, I ca-can't," Hunter panted as he dropped Treyden's legs down and pulled out, then took off the condom. In that moment with Hunter on his knees and still between Treyden's legs, Hunter took over stroking Treyden while Trey placed his hand around Hunter's throbbing length and the two were jacking each other off to finish at the same time.

"Mm, yes! Hunter, I'm...cumming!" Treyden arched his back while his cock twitched and he started to cum. Hunter rocked his hips into Treyden's soft grip around his length to bring himself to orgasm as well, releasing hard and it getting on Trey's hand and some on his stomach too which is where Trey's landed and on Hunter's hand too. Hunter and Treyden let go of one another and shared another kiss before Hunter laid down on the bed, both panting hard and trying to catch their breath. As they came down from the pleasure high, Hunter grabbed his shirt from the floor and cleaned off with, then Treyden did the same as the shirt got tossed to the hamper.

 **(End Treyden & Hunter Lemon)**

It had been nothing short of exhilarating. Hunter snaked his arms around Treyden's waist and drew him closer against his body. Hunter kissed his cheek with a smile while their naked bodied meshed together so perfectly and sleep took over minutes later. Tonight was just supposed to be a birthday party between two friends and it turned into both of them giving into their drunken desires to be with one another and share the most intimate of actions.


	37. Better Off Friends

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Better Off Friends

The next morning came bright and early at 6 am to Dustin Fury, Treyden's father yelling in the hallway at them to get up for work. Hunter was first to snap awake and notice he was naked holding an equally naked person in his arms. Coming out of the haze, Hunter saw that it was Treyden and quickly let go, then backed up as Treyden came out of his sleepiness to see the same sight Hunter had. Both of them were in shock but Hunter motioned to the door as if to say; _I can't answer him or he'll know what happened_. Treyden took a few breaths to calm himself down.

"Sorry, Dad. Overslept, Hunter and I stayed up late gaming since it was his birthday!" Treyden called.

"Well, have fun explaining that to Harry, son. He's called the house four times wondering if you're both alright. I'm leaving for my doctor appointment. See you later on. Love you," Dustin replied.

"Love you too!" Treyden answered. All that was heard were footsteps down the stairs, then the main door opening and shutting. Hunter and Treyden looked at one another a little afraid; it wasn't hard to tell what happened last night. The Southern Comfort almost gone, beer bottles in the trash, chips, and dip left out on the table, their clothes all around, and them naked. It only meant one thing; they got wasted and had sex.

"D-Did we?..." Hunter started to asked.

"I highly doubt it was us getting too hot and stripping down to stay cool, Hunter! Gods, what the hell happened?" Treyden panicked. "We were supposed to be at Fort Draco an hour, and a hal-" Trey stopped short as he put a hand to his mouth and Hunter grabbed the bedside trash bin for him, and Treyden puked three times.

"Take it," Hunter started then paused to keep himself from throwing up next, "easy. Freaking out...won't help either...of us. I don't...remember what happened. It's a huge blur accompanied with a major headache right now. We should...shower and get dressed, then we can talk about this," he added slowly trying to get off the bed and locate at least his boxers and pants. Treyden nodded, he couldn't be mad at Hunter over this. Whatever happened, the two must have agreed because they woke up in each other's arms. Treyden took a few breaths and nodded to him.

"Okay. You...shower faster than I do so you go first. I-I need a few minutes, kind'a sore still," Trey admitted looking down.

"The hot water will ease that soreness. You go first, I'll help you," Hunter said now with his pants on and offering a hand to Trey after he managed to reach his boxers and slip them on with only a little pain showing on his face. Trey put his hand in Hunter's and was brought to his feet as Hunter led him to the bathroom. "I'll take care of work," he informed as Trey closed the restroom door then Hunter heard the shower go on. Hunter went to Treyden's room and started cleaning things up, then putting dirty clothes in the hamper while collecting his own to put in his place. Hunter took out the trash then gathered some clothes for his shower and set them on the edge of the bed.

Hunter grabbed his phone seeing missed calls and texts from his parents, Audrey, friends, and Harry. Most of which were wishing a happy birthday or wondering where he was. Hunter called back Harry. First, there was no way they could go to work today. Aside from the massive hangover, there was a lot to talk about. Hunter already started recalling some aspects. On the second ring, Hunter heard a pickup.

" _Haddock. Where in the name of Odin are you and Fury?!"_ Harry demanded.

"Major Andersen, please don't yell. I'll explain things," Hunter began.

" _I'm listening intently,"_ Harry replied.

"Treyden and I had a couple of drinks to celebrate my birthday since my girl is sick and parents with my sister are out of town til Friday night. We ordered take-out, and then around 11 pm, we both started feeling like crap and have been throwing up every few hours. We think it's food poisoning, I'm sorry...we didn't call out sooner. When there was a break in the puking, we just fell asleep past the alarms," Hunter explained.

" _Well, I'm not as angry and worried as before. You're excused for a couple of days to get better, but I expect you both here Monday morning for work,"_ Harry informed.

"Thanks, boss. And I'm sorry again," Hunter said weakly, Gods, he felt horrible.

" _It's alright, but you should know we worry when people don't report to work and don't answer calls and messages. I hope you both feel better. I've gotta get back to work now, take it, easy boys. Bye,"_ Hunter hung up after that and tossed his phone down.

"Hunter, I'm...out of the shower if you wanna go," Treyden said.

"Thanks, I'll head there now. By the way, Major Andersen thinks we have food poisoning, so we're off til Monday. I figured...we could use a few days to recover and...settle with things," Hunter told him.

"Good call. I'll uh, meet you in the living room then?" Trey asked.

"Will do," Hunter replied. After that, there was Treyden's door shutting. Hunter exited his room and went to the bathroom to relieve himself and then take a hot shower, hoping to recall more of last night.

(Twenty Minutes Later)

Treyden and Hunter sat on the couch in silence, neither knowing how to begin. It wasn't every day you had to have a conversation like this. "Thank you...for cleaning up my room," Treyden broke the silence.

"You're...welcome," Hunter replied then took a breath.

"I'm really sorry about last night," Hunter and Treyden said at the same time, they paused and laughed a little.

"Look, let's just...chalk it up to being shitfaced and not well thought out decisions. We both confided in one another private details about the other. You being bisexual, myself being gay," Hunter said afterward.

"Right, yes. We were drunk and just let things go too far. I said I'd never been kissed and at least you got to experience all you have. You were just trying to help as a good friend would," Treyden added in.

"Still, it...wasn't something we should have...experimented with under those circumstances. I mean, you said you liked someone else who was taken, and I'm...with-Oh, shit!" Hunter said with wide eyes.

"What? What is it, Hunter?" Treyden questioned quickly with concern for his friend.

"I'm with Audrey. Gods, this means I cheated on her last night. Fuck, she'll never forgive me. This will kill her; then she'll come back and kill me," Hunter panicked with his head in his hands. Treyden realized Hunter was right; they didn't just kiss or get off last night, they had sex, and it meant Hunter was unfaithful to Audrey even if it was a drunken accident.

"Hunt, deep breaths. It's...going to be okay. Just don't tell her, how is she ever going to know we slept together unless you tell her. Audrey...knows you live with me and she was sick last night. What is she going to question about what we did for your birthday? We had had a shot, then a beer each and watched TV the rest of the night until Dad found us crashed on the couch and told us to go to bed. That's all that happened, right?" Treyden assured trying to get Hunter to catch his hint.

"Trey, that means I'm lying to her and keeping secrets. The same thing I broke up with her for doing," Hunter sighed.

"So? What she did was a hell of a lot worse than what we did. We were smashed last night; she was perfectly sober and aware of her actions. I mean it's up to you man, but I wouldn't tell her," Treyden replied. "That's how I'm looking at this; it never happened. We just celebrated your birthday with a few drinks and watching TV," he added.

"You're right. What no one knows won't hurt them. You and I are the only two who know and we won't tell anyone. Thanks, Trey. You...sure you're okay though? I didn't hurt you or nothing?" Hunter asked while calming down now.

"Little sore but I'm sure I'll be okay. You were...surprisingly gentle so, thank you for that," Treyden nodded. "D-Did I...hurt you?"

"I'm glad. And no, you didn't hurt me either. Alright, we agree then. This...never happened and we're still friends?" Hunter inquired curiously.

Trey smiled with a hand out to him. "The very best of," he said as Hunter connected his hand to Treyden's. The two sat in silence a moment after relaxing on the couch.

"Okay, I have to ask...Did you enjoy it? Like, was I good?" Hunter asked, and Treyden laughed out.

"Yes, you were great. I hope I was too, never done something like that before," Treyden responded.

"Neither have I. Well, the anal side of sex at least," Hunter chuckled. Neither of them remembered much of last night, but they knew without a doubt that it was unbelievable for them both. Hunter and Treyden spent the remainder of their day sobering up and taking it easy. Hunter and Trey ended up discussing that maybe it was time for Hunter to go back home. Initially, he said he would only stay a few months while the project was going on. Now that was over plus he was back with Audrey so it might be a good chance to go home but they'd still hang out and see each other at work. Treyden didn't want Hunter to leave but knew that they weren't a thing so he couldn't as that Hunter stay.

Also, Treyden recalled that Hunter and him started on the love life talk because Hunter admitted he wasn't happy with Audrey because it didn't feel the same anymore. Treyden also remembered that Hunter said he liked someone else before Audrey and him got back together and Treyden remembered telling Hunter he liked him after Hunter said it first when the kiss ended. It hurt Trey a little to know that Hunter didn't remember but maybe he would with time.

(A Month Later)

~Hunter's POV~

I was back at my parent's house and they were glad too, so was Caitlyn. On Saturday following me leaving Treyden's after my birthday, Mom, Dad, Caitlyn, and Audrey all came out for the usual dinner. Was it bad to say I didn't have nearly as much fun with them as I did the night with Treyden? Gods, I was a horrible person. I harped on Audrey for lying and keeping secrets from me and I was doing the same to her. On Sunday was the typical surprise party with all my friends over, including Trey, Theo, and Andrew. Oh, Gregory too. That was a decent time, Treyden and I struggled not to talk about our night though. It was hard to refrain from it but we knew we had to. If anyone found out, that was it. There would be disappointment, betrayal, and tears galore.

Now, it was a month later. The end of March and tonight, Audrey and I were going to a karaoke night with our friends, and then Audrey and I were supposed to hang at her hour for a few hours to watch movies or whatever. The guilt was tearing me apart; I had to tell Audrey the truth about what happened with Treyden that night. I knew I might not ever get to be with him, but I couldn't stay with Audrey knowing I cheated on her with Trey also that I just wasn't happy because things weren't the same and never would be. Trey was right that night, I forgave but won't forget what happened and as long as I couldn't then Audrey and me just couldn't be a couple.

I recalled some things from the night with Trey. One of them was me telling him I liked him before we had sex. Another was me telling him I wasn't happy with Audrey. The last thing I remembered managed to remember was Treyden informing me that he liked someone who was taken and satisfied with said person. That just proved to me that Trey didn't like me and was straight so I couldn't pursue him. I figured on my own that Trey had to be bisexual or he wouldn't have enjoyed the sex we had that night and he said he did. All that aside, no. I had to tell Audrey tonight, there was no hiding it anymore.

(Audrey's House; 8 pm)

At the moment, Audrey and I were sitting in her room watching a movie. The two of us were holding hands but locked in kissing which I knew was sure another attempt for her to have sex with me. Unlucky for her that I didn't have any condoms on me or in the truck because I never restocked after the night with Treyden. I felt her shift and climb over me, going in for deeper kissed and I knew it was time to stop this.

"Audrey," I stated, and she kept going. "Stop, Audrey." I tried again as she made a go for trying to unbutton my pants. Finally, I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back. "Audrey, damn it, I said stop. We're not having sex, I don't have any condoms on me or in the truck, and I'm not in the mood," I remarked firmly.

"Alright. What gives, Hunter? We've been back together for two months now, and this is the first time I hear you don't keep condoms on you. Not to mention, you've been completely distant since the night of your birthday party. What's going on? Talk to me, please?" Audrey pleaded while still sitting on my hips. I had to tell her; there was no getting around anymore. I sighed and sat up as I had her get off me and I moved away from the bed facing the window.

" Look. I haven't been entirely honest with you about a few things, Audrey. I want you to be aware of them," I said sternly and closed my eyes. I heard Audrey sit up and on the edge of her bed.

"Okay, I'm listening," Audrey replied slowly.

"For starters, our relationship is not what it used to be. I told you, in the beginning, two months ago, that I wanted to take things easy and you've been...trying to have sex with me and drop hints about getting engaged and married for like six weeks now," I informed.

"I'm sorry, Hunter. I just...thought maybe we could go back to how it was when things were good. This feels like we're dragging our feet and as I said, you're distant," Audrey answered.

"I know. Unfortunately, Audrey, things will never be that way again because of what happened to cause the breakup. You did earn my trust, and I did forgive you, but I can't forget it, and I'm not going to. That fear keeps me from letting this go back to how it was. On other notes, Audrey, I'm...not happy here. I thought I would be with some time in and being together, but I'm not. I-I can't lie to you, while we were broken up...I started developing feelings for someone else, and those are still with me," I told her calmly.

"Y-You like someone else?" Audrey stiffened a little.

"Yes. Someone on my squad who has been there for me through thick and thin, even when things with you happened. Unfortunately, this person likes someone else, and I doubt we stand a chance at being together. However, we did share one night together and...it was god damn incredible," I admitted.

"You know, this...isn't really something I want to hear. You had a fantastic time screwing someone else, Hunter," Audrey muttered.

"I'm glad that is all you got out of that statement that I had sex with someone else instead of me having feelings for someone else who I see every day and has been there for me through everything," I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"Do you still have feelings for this girl? Is that what you're telling me, that you're falling for this person?" Audrey asked.

"I do still have feelings for this person. But there's still one more thing I have to tell you, and I'm pretty sure that it's going to affect our relationship. You keep saying I've been distant since my birthday, well, something happened that night while I was staying at Treyden's," I closed my eyes again and looked away.

"Tell me," Audrey stated.

"Audrey. I slept with Trey," I stated firmly.

"Hunter, sleeping in the same bed with Trey isn't going to af-" Audrey started.

"No, Audrey. I mean that I _SLEPT_ with him. Treyden...and I had sex the night of my birthday," I emphasized for her as she froze.

"Y-You mean...that you cheated on me?" Audrey breathed out as I nodded to her. "H-How did-I don't understand, Hunter. How in Thor's name did this happen?! You're...not gay; you told us all that during lunch that day! Explain! Right now!" she demanded getting to her feet now.

"You were sick; friends were busy, parents had to leave town for a few days because Grandma Gigi broke her leg. My birthday was turning out shitty for having one when I was home since the last two years, and I had been deployed for both my birthdays. Treyden apparently noticed I was miserable so he went out to get chips, dip, alcohol and we hung out in his room to watch TV and listen to music. Trey and I...got hammered drunk and...ended up having sex," I explained to her calmly. I wasn't ashamed of what I did with Trey.

"Hunter, you had sex with another man! That makes you gay; you lied to your sister and our friends in the lunch room. You cheated on me and have been hiding it for a month," Audrey said quickly.

"Audrey, I'm fucking sorry okay!" I yelled as she was taken aback by the anger. "I'm sorry I cheated on you and hid it. I-I didn't want anyone to know that Trey and I had drunk sex together. I didn't...lie to anyone. I said I wasn't gay...but I never said I wasn't bisexual. Yes, I'm attracted to males and females and the person I have feelings for...is Treyden. I started...liking him when we broke up. I don't...care if you leave me just...please don't tell anyone about me being bi. Please? You know my sister and mother will never approve and I don't want it come out until I'm ready to tell them. Please, I'm begging you,"

Audrey's angry look held for a moment or two then it faded as she sighed and finally, she smiled and I was confused. Audrey walked up to me and put a hand on my cheek, then she kissed me deeply but I didn't return it as I once used to. Audrey pulled away and held my hand. "You don't like him, Hunter. You're in love with him, it's in your actions. You don't kiss me with the same passion you used to and don't think I haven't seen how happy you get when Treyden is around you. You spoke of having an incredible night with him and you've never said that about the times we made love," she said.

"I'm confused. Are you mad and breaking up with me or forgiving me and telling me something I already know?" I decided to ask boldly.

"I'm not mad at you, and yes, I do forgive you. You're right; we aren't what we used to be and honestly...I've noticed you aren't happy with me, but we were more comfortable as friends after you forgave me. So I...think it's best if we don't try to push this and lose that. I love you, Hunter, but your heart belongs to someone else now, and I have to let you go so you can be happy, so we both have a chance to be. What I'm saying is that we should break up and just stay friends like we were. I won't tell anyone about you being bisexual, and I won't even mention we broke up because everyone will wonder why and I know you aren't ready to tell them," Audrey said softly.

"I am sorry, Audrey," I stared at her.

"Don't apologize for falling in love. We do love one another, but we aren't in love. I know you say Trey likes another but there's no way the night you two shared won't bring him towards you eventually. Thank you for giving me another chance, I got to prove you can still tell me anything and I will listen, and help all I can. So don't forget that, okay? I want you to be happy, Hunter," Audrey smiled and hugged me. I had returned it before we pulled away and I started for the door to her room.

"I want you to be happy too and thank you for understanding. Catch you later, my friend," I smiled back as I left and exited the house, got in my truck and went home. I couldn't believe how well it went, we broke up on mutual terms and she understood that I loved someone else and things between her and me weren't the same anymore. We were truly better off as friends. Audrey was going to keep my secret of being bisexual until I was ready to tell everyone. Now I had to figure out how exactly I was going to do that; it wouldn't be easy because I knew how many people would approve. What else could I do, it would come out that Audrey and I weren't together soon, so that meant I had to come out before then. And I knew exactly who I could talk to about this; My Dad.


	38. Between Father & Son

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Between Father & Son

Hunter and Audrey continued to talk as friends after the breakup, and everyone still assumed they were together because the two weren't showing any signs that they weren't. The two would hug, smile, and share kisses on the cheek but nothing more and no one said anything about it not looking right. Hunter was busy working Monday through Saturday from 4 am to 6 pm now, and Audrey had school from 7 am to 2 pm, then she would do her homework until 4 pm, finally goes to work from 4:30 to 9:30 at her part time job of waitressing in Gobber's diner. Hunter helped get her the job, and so far, he hasn't regretted the decision. Audrey was a hard worker, trying to save up money to get a car and for college tuition when September came around, and she started her schooling again. Right now, it was April, the second week of the month as Hunter chose to use this Sunday as the one to talk to his father about what he should do about the current situation.

It was going to be a weird conversation, but Hunter knew that if anyone could help, it was his father so today would be the day. It was 2:30 pm, Viola was working until 4 pm, and Caitlyn was at the make-up baseball game since Saturday's was rained out with Audrey, Renee, Fisher, Travis, and Eddie. Drew and Shane played for the team and Heather was a cheerleader. Hunter knew that his father in the living room while Hunter sat nervously in his room trying to figure out how to start this.

 _'Don't be a coward, Hunter. It's just your dad, and you are talking about you being bisexual and being in love with your best friend, also that you had sex with him already on a very drunken night. Come on, get it together and just tell him you need to talk to him,'_ Hunter thought as he took a deep breath and exited his room. Hunter walked down the hall and saw his father watching a wrestling match on TV.

"Hey, son. How was your nap?" Salvatore greeted with a smile.

"It was alright. Um, Dad, I-I really need to talk to you about something serious and hope to Odin you might be able to help me with," Hunter stated outright. Sal saw the severity in his son's eyes, so he shut the TV off then grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and cracked them open while sitting down and handing one to Hunter.

"Okay, Hunter. How serious is this on the scale of not telling your mother or sister because the last time we did this, you asked me to let you get your GED and join the army at sixteen," Sal inquired slowly.

"Let me use the military mission scale; ten as in she'll fucking kill me," Hunter replied.

"Oh, Hunter...What did you do, son?" Salvatore got worried.

Hunter lowered his head with a sigh and closed eyes. "I-I cheated on Audrey because of a drunken night with Trey," Hunter admitted before glancing up to his father.

"Wait, you mean you cheated on Audrey by...sleeping with Treyden while you two were drunk?" Salvatore questioned to make sure he had it right. Hunter nodded to confirm the question for his father. "I assume this is a problem because it was a lot more than a kiss, wasn't it?" Hunter nodded again. Sal sat back a little shocked and took a long sip of his beer. "Alright, just...tell me what happened first. I know you're bisexual, so I don't have to ask where the desire came from but I do have to know where this started,"

"The short version is that I was pretty miserable on my birthday, well, the 28th since next year is the leap year but what happened was Trey learned I was spending it alone because Audrey was sick, you guys were out of town, and my friends were busy. So, Trey grabbed some snacks, Soco, and a twelve pack of Archian Mead bottles. We went to his room to watch TV, listen to music and relax. I wanna say we had seven shots of Soco and four beers each in the course of three hours and at some point, just turned off the TV and sat there talking. I still don't remember much of the conversation, and neither does he," Hunter began to explain.

"Well, tell me what you do remember?" Salvatore offered.

"Finishing off our fourth beers, Trey asked why I seemed so down lately after I'd just gotten back with Audrey and I confessed to him I wasn't happy with her, that things weren't the same. Trey told me that it's because I forgave her but can't forget what she did so that fear will always exist that she hurts me again. Then I admitted to Treyden that while broken up with Audrey, I started liking someone else and he didn't know it but that person was him. However, I figured Trey was straight so there would never be a chance of us being together. I was saying I liked him without...saying it. You know like a mention without giving names," Hunter continued.

"I get it. Anything else get said?" Sal asked.

"Trey wondered why I didn't tell this person I like them and I said it's because they were straight, this was me assuming that Treyden was. I admitted to Trey I was bi, but only you knew about it. Trey admitted to me he liked someone who was taken and happy, he also said that he was gay and only his parents knew about it. We talked about a few other things; then he mentioned that I was lucky to have gotten to experience love, sex, and everything because he'd never even been kissed. And...I don't know what came over me but I just leaned over and kissed him, and he returned it. After I had pulled away, I told him it was him that I liked. It went blank after that except for the random sections of the sex we had for two hours," Hunter informed.

"And how did things go the next morning, I notice you came back to live here a few days after your birthday. Are you and Treyden still friends?" Salvatore inquired.

"Oh, absolutely. Trey and I are still the best of friends. He just...doesn't remember me telling him that I like him, we agreed that it was just a really drunken night and put it behind us, to never talk about it again, but we also said it was an incredible evening. I mean, it was nothing like what I had with Audrey. But...I'm sure you don't want the details," Hunter stated quickly as Salvatore nodded in agreement.

(Fury Residence)

"Hunter doesn't remember me telling him that I like him but Dad, it was a fantastic night. I couldn't believe how drunk we were but how easy he was with me knowing I'd never done things like that before. I just...don't know what to do. No one except you and Hunter know I'm gay, and he said he liked someone else who he thinks is straight. Well, Mom knew I was gay too, but you understand," Treyden finished explaining the story to his father. Yes, Treyden was also confused about what to do, and he decided to confront his father about it. So Trey just told his dad about the night and how things started.

"Well, makes sense why you were both so tired now. Hope Harry didn't drill you too hard for it?" Dustin chuckled a bit.

"No, Hunter told him we were sick, and Harry gave us the rest of that week off. And this isn't funny, Dad. Seriously, what do I do? D-Do I pursue Hunter?" Treyden asked.

"Unfortunately, my boy, you have to remember that Hunter is with someone right now. And you said yourself that he was happy, though, I doubt things will stay that way if she finds out or he ends up telling her the truth about what happened. I'm sure the guilt will force him to at some point. Though he loved the night with you as you put it, he knows he was unfaithful and keeping a secret from the woman he's with. You've also mentioned that this is the girl who hurt him for lying and keeping secrets, so it's my assumption he won't do to her what she did to him," Dustin informed.

Treyden sighed heavily. "So I should just...give up on it? It's not like he likes me anyway,"

"I wouldn't go quite the far, Trey. Listening to your story, you said that Hunter wanted someone else while broken up with the girl he's back with but didn't pursue it because he didn't know if this person was straight. How are you so sure he wasn't talking about you being that person?" Dustin asked as Treyden lifted his head quickly.

"What are you getting at, Dad?" Treyden questioned now, apparently confused.

"Your words were that you liked someone who was taken and seemed happy. While talking, you were referring to Hunter without telling him that it was him you wanted because he's with someone and confessed he wasn't happy with her and started liking someone else while they were broken up," Dustin informed. Treyden nodded to him trying to understand what was his father was saying to him. "Hunter said he didn't pursue this other person because he assumed the person was straight, Hunter didn't know you were gay until after he mentioned being bisexual. Also, didn't you said that Hunter was afraid it would ruin his friendship with the person he liked and didn't Hunter ask you the next morning if you two were still friends?" Trey nodded again. "What if he was talking about you just as you were talking about him? You get my meaning?" his father asked.

Treyden's eyes widened a little. "Y-You think he started liking me? The night I told him I was gay when he said he was bisexual and unhappy with Audrey but Hunter admitted to never saying anything in fear thinking it would ruin our friendship and that I was straight?" Trey asked as his father shrugged.

"Can you deny the possibility? Just think about it. You know that you are Hunter's best friend and also that his friends, plus the others in your squad are straight. You got jealous of him being in a relationship with Audrey, so you started liking him, and Hunter mentioned wanting someone else during the breakup but who was he around the most? You," Dustin replied.

"Never thought that I could have been the one he liked," Treyden stated. "I foggily remember him telling me something after we kissed. Him saying 'It you, Trey,' I asked him what he meant and he said," Trey's eyes widened again. "He said 'One I like,' Oh, my Gods," he gasped and Dustin smiled.

"Don't forget you were wasted that night and didn't realize that he said he was unhappy with her, but you assumed he was initially. And it discouraged you because he said he liked someone else and couldn't give all his love to Audrey. If he was willing to have sex with you, then I think it's because he saw the chance to be with you because he likes you just as you knew it was him you liked and gave yourself to him because an opportunity was there." Dustin told his son. "My advice son, get closer to him because I'm sure that he and that Audrey girl are not going to last much longer and that will be your chance again to get him. I wouldn't let it get away,"

"I won't. Thanks, Dad," Treyden smiled and hugged his father with a new goal in mind; pursue Hunter and be with him.

(Haddock Residence)

"I knew I cheated on Audrey and...I hid it from her for a month until she tried to have sex with me and I couldn't anymore, so I told her the truth. We aren't together either, Audrey said things didn't feel the same for her either, and it was better if we went back to being friends. Everyone thinks we're dating, but she's just...covering for me, so no one finds out I'm bisexual. You...know how Mom and Caitlyn feel about it," Hunter sighed to his Dad while explaining the fact Audrey and he broke up but were staying friends.

"You know everyone is going to find out, son. I've known for years about your sexuality, but I think it's time for you to come out about it to your friends, mother, and sister. Especially if you want a relationship with Treyden now that you know he's gay also," Salvatore insisted to him.

"I know, I just...don't know how to tell them. Back when I was still healing from the gunshot wound, everything assumed I was gay because I told Treyden that I would always have his back as he's had mine until the day I day. The others were joking around saying to get a room and Caitlyn made mention of hoping I wasn't gay because Mom would have a heart attack. Shane said it wasn't their place to judge but asked me outright if I was gay and I told them now. But added in my thoughts I was bisexual. I didn't technically lie; I'm not gay, I like both," Hunter sighed.

"You can't hide it forever, especially if you want a chance with Trey, son," Salvatore reminded.

"He likes someone else, Dad," Hunter grumbled.

"I think you perceive this from the drunken view based on what was said that night. Think about your words to me, Hunter. You told Treyden you liked someone else and didn't say anything because of fear that it would ruin your friendship and that the person was straight. But you never told him he was the one you talked about until right before you made love and he doesn't remember, right?" Sal asked, and Hunter nodded. "Then Treyden tells you he's gay, but the person he likes is with someone else and appeared happy. What if he was talking about you?"

"Y-You think that Treyden was referring to me when he said that?" Hunter exclaimed.

"It's not so farfetched, son. Appearing happy in his relationship, you seemed happy, but you weren't, and you told him that but being drunk, it probably didn't register because of the alcohol. I think you two were talking about one another. You spoke about him, and he was referring to you. No one else in your squad is gay or bisexual, and Trey is your best friend. Weren't you even afraid that your night together would have destroyed the friendship?" Sal mentioned as Hunter's eyes widened.

"Oh my Gods, you're right. It's...kind'a coming back now. Right after I kissed him, I told him I was talking about him, and he said...'You who I like.' We didn't realize it because we thought the other person talked about someone else, " Hunter gasped. So Treyden was talking about him! Treyden liked him!

"Now, you have to tell everyone about being bisexual, and the break up that came from the night you had with Trey," Salvatore put a hand on Hunter's shoulder with a smile. "And I'll be right there with ya," he added. "After all that, you can go get him as your lover," Sal chuckled.

"Thanks, Dad. And don't worry, I don't intend on letting him get away," Hunter replied while he and Sal clinked their beers together and took a drink. Hunter knew what he needed to do and he didn't care about the outcome either, as long as he got to see Treyden and tell him how he felt. It was the same on Trey's end; he was going to find a time to tell Treyden that he liked him as soon as he was gone from Audrey again. It was unbelievable that the fathers seemed to know exactly what to say to boost the confidence and make their sons feel better. The bond between father and son was truly incredible, and neither of the young men ever wanted to lose what they had with their fathers.


	39. Hurt & Done

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Hurt & Done

~Treyden's POV~

I felt a lot better after talking to my Dad about things concerning Hunter. I knew who I was referring to the night of Hunter's birthday, but I didn't even stop to think he was talking about liking me. Sure, Hunter and I said we'd put it behind us and were still the best of friends, but things weren't going to stay that way now that I knew Hunter wanted to be with me. I wondered if Hunter remembered that last bit of us talking before getting into the sex? We saw one another daily at work but kept that night out of public places and also, Hunter was still with Audrey and unaware of the unfaithfulness on Hunter's part. I had to see him outside of work; I needed to know if he recalled what I did and knew I told him that I liked him. Today was Sunday, April 21st, 2019. I knew Hunter was having some get together at his place, but he never mentioned what it was for, only that he hoped it went well.

My Dad's theory was that perhaps Hunter was about to come out of the closet so to speak and tell everyone the truth, I only hoped that was the case. If it revealed me as gay, I didn't care. I knew I couldn't hide forever either; my real friends would stand by me. The time was 12:30 pm, Hunter said the gathering would be at 1 pm, so I guessed I had a little time to see him real quick. I got in my car and headed the fifteen minutes to Hunter's house.

(Haddock Residence)

I pulled up outside Hunter's house and saw easily recognizable cars there already. Shane's, Hunter's Uncle Shawn and Aunt Mikayla's, Gregory's, Drew's, and I think the last one was Fisher's who just got it for his eighteenth birthday in September 2018. If they were here, I had to also assume that Eddie, Heather, Renee, and Travis were too. Why would all of them be over, seemed a little odd and strange there were on time too. I shut the car off and got out while heading to the living room door and knocked twice. After a minute, it opened and I saw Hunter there.

"Trey?" Hunter said a little surprised to see me there. "Is everything okay?" he asked afterward.

"I wanted to talk to you. Can you or...has your get together thing started?" I asked him.

"Not yet, waiting on Audrey. Come in, head to my room," Hunter told me as I breathed out a little relieved and walked inside to see everyone, they waved so I did it back and kept going to Hunter's room while Hunter followed behind. Once in his room, he shut the door and faced me. "What's wrong? Not like you to just show up?" Hunter inquired.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here yet. I know we said to pretend it didn't happen but I...can't stop thinking about that night, Hunter," I whispered so no one else would hear our talk.

"I-I know. I haven't been able to either, Trey. I remembered more of it too. Right before we made love, I told you I liked you, and you said it back. My...feelings haven't changed," Hunter admitted calmly.

"That's...why I came over. I remembered that too. We were both talking about each other, but I-I know you're with Audrey, so I won't interfere. But I do...like you, Hunter. A lot. We were friends first; I'm still your best friend as you are to me," Treyden said. "As long as you're with her then I suppo-" I was stopped short by Hunter putting his finger to my lips and smiling at me gently. Gods, I loved it. Hunter cupped my cheek, and then he kissed me lightly on the lips, I returned it.

"Ssh. You talk too much," Hunter chuckled after he pulled away and I blushed. "Don't worry about Audrey, she knows. I told her at the end of March when she tried to sleep with me. She and I broke up agreeing things weren't the same, and that we're better off as friends. We have only been acting since she's covering for me so no one would figure out I was bisexual yet. That's why I have everyone here today, I'm telling them," he added as I blinked a little. Hunter and Audrey were broken up already and didn't tell me? Well, he did just say why. They were acting so no one would discover the truth that he planned on revealing today. Knowing this made me beyond happy.

"A-Are you saying we...can be together?" I asked him.

"Not right away. I'm going to tell them today; the give it a chance to settle before getting into a relationship. I don't want it to be overload, you know?" Hunter explained, of course, I understood. This wasn't going to be easy for Hunter to tell them that he was bisexual. Throwing on that we're together too might just be a bit much to process in one day.

"I understand," I replied softly. There was a knock on the door.

"Son, Audrey is here," Salvatore mentioned.

"Be right out, Dad. Thanks!" Hunter called to him then he kissed me again, and again. "I'll...call you...later, okay?" he said between the kisses.

"I'll be waiting," I replied with a smile as we kissed again before breaking apart and him opening the door to let me out with him following again.

"Everything alright, Treyden?" Viola asked.

"Oh, yes. Hunter just...whacked his head yesterday at work. Harry asked if I would remind him that he has to get the recruits for Alpha Hooligan Platoon integrated with us. The last batch ended up having to handle a situation before being separated," I lied, although, perhaps it wasn't because that was something that happened. We had a new group of recruits to get joined up with the platoon, but it wasn't going on until May, go figure.

"Good thing you thing you told me because I completely forgot. You'll be there with me since you're my second in command," Hunter patted my shoulder and I smiled wide. "Alright, I got these things to take care of so I'll hit you up later," he added.

"Got it," I replied and left the house to return to mine. I couldn't wait, Hunter and I would be together soon.

~Normal POV~

Hunter was glad Treyden came over today, it brought him a joy like no one would believe to know he remembered Hunter telling him he liked him. Everything was going to work out for them, but first, Hunter had to tell everyone the truth about being bisexual, Audrey and him breaking up because of a night with Trey, also that Hunter was going to be with him. Hunter wasn't telling Trey that though, it was going to be a surprise. Hunter glanced around the room; everyone was there, so it was time to get this over with.

"Start talking, boy. What is so important that we all had to come over?" Uncle Shawn started as Hunter took a breath.

"Give him a minute, Shawn. Hunter hasn't even had a moment to greet his girlfriend," Viola sighed. Audrey got up and hugged him lightly; she looked Hunter in the eyes.

"You ready for this?" Audrey asked.

"No, but they need to know, so I'm going to do either way," Hunter whispered as Audrey returned to her spot on the couch with a smile.

"Alright, there's...a few things that I wanted everyone to know at the same time regarding Audrey and myself. For starters, we wanted to announce that she and I are-" Hunter began.

"Going to have a baby!" Viola cheered as Hunter's eyes widened. Where in the hell did she get that idea from!? Hunter fought the urge to facepalm, and it didn't work, so he ended up doing it hard. "And the second announcement is that you're getting married too, right? Oh, I knew it! You two have been together for three months, I knew it wouldn't take for you two-" she continued, but Hunter gave an irritated look.

"Gee, Ma, you think maybe I can make the announcements?" Hunter asked sarcastically.

"Is...she right? Are you and Audrey having a baby, brother?" Caitlyn pushed.

"A-And getting married?" Renee added in.

"You'd find out if someone would let me talk!" Hunter growled out. The room got quiet again as Hunter relaxed, he couldn't believe this was the idea they came up with; thinking Audrey and him were having a baby. Were they completely out of their minds? It didn't matter; it was time to give the first announcement. The breakup. "For starters, no. Audrey and I are not having a baby. Matter of fact, we haven't even had sex since getting back together," Hunter saw his mother frown in disappointment, as well Caitlyn too and maybe Heather. "Secondly, we're not engaged either," more frowns and heavy sighs.

"I don't see why you're sighing heavily," Salvatore muttered.

"They've been together three months; we just thought things would go back to how they were," Renee stated.

"For the record and not to open old wounds here, but I don't expect Hunter to be ready for those things given what happened to cause our breakup in the first place. We discussed that before getting back together, to take it slow and weren't jumping back into all that," Audrey mentioned.

"Can I finish now?" Hunter grumbled, and they put their attention back on him to keep going. "On what Renee said, things with Audrey and me will never be what they were, unfortunately. There was a lot of hurt and pain in that, and I admitted that to her a few weeks ago; that things won't be the same because she did earn my trust back and I forgave her but I won't and can't forget what happened. With that known, I should add that in the time Audrey and I were broken up, I started developing feelings for someone else,"

There was a profound set of gasps by the girls, Fisher, and Travis. Shane, Eddie, and Drew just stared. "Who else could you have started liking?" Heather asked quickly.

"Who doesn't matter. My feelings changed, and it's another reason why things with Audrey aren't the same. Also, and I'm still sorry about it, Audrey," Hunter paused as she only smiled and shook her head as if to say _don't worry about it_. "I pursued those other feelings and accidentally cheated on her. So, back to first announcement. Audrey and I are broken up," Hunter informed, more looks of shock and surprise.

"Oh, my Gods! You cheated on her!?" Caitlyn exclaimed.

"He did but I wasn't mad at him, I knew things were different in our relationship, so we agreed to end it and stay friends because it seemed like we were happier that way after the first breakup," Audrey informed gently.

"Who is this other woman! You only know the people in your platoon and us as close friends," Renee demanded.

"And how was the cheating accidental? I mean you know when you're kissing someone else, son," Viola asked now.

"Because it wasn't just a kiss or making out. It was sex and accidental due to the fact I was hammered drunk on my birthday this year when everyone else was busy, out of town, or sick," Hunter informed with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Odin no, don't you dare tell me you had drunken sex with another woman and got her pregnant!" Viola screeched.

"Fine, I won't," Hunter shrugged.

"This is not a joke, Hunter! Why are you so calm about it? You got another girl pregnant, and you don't care?" Viola yelled at him.

"For the love of-I DIDN'T GET ANOTHER GIRL PREGNANT, MOM! It's not even another woman, it's a man! Ugh, fuck it. I had sex with Treyden! Happy now?!" Hunter yelled back as the room fell into a dead silence, all eyes widening and settling on Hunter's figure in shock, except for Salvatore. "That's what this is all about. Okay? I cheated on Audrey with Trey and before you ask because I know it's coming. No, I'm not gay," he took a breath.

"So, it was just drunken sex that you don't remember or is he the gay one and took advantage of you?" Caitlyn asked now.

"It was wasted level of drunken love-making," Hunter said as it remained quiet.

"You said...love making. That means you both consent-But you just told us you aren't gay nor did you deny Trey being gay," Heather mentioned.

"I'm not gay, but I am bisexual," Hunter admitted, "And Trey is gay," he added.

"I don't...understand this. How did you being drunk lead to Treyden and you having sex?!" Viola ordered.

"Because with six-No, wait, seven shots of Southern Comfort and four beers in both of us, I told him I wasn't happy with Audrey anymore, also that I liked someone else who I assumed was straight and didn't want to ruin our friendship. I told Treyden I was bisexual that night and he came out as gay to me saying he liked someone who was taken and happy. We started talking about a few other things regarding sex. Trey said he'd never been kissed, so I kissed him and then told him it was him I liked, he told me I was the one he liked, and it went from there, for two hours," Hunter explained with the shortest version he could.

"So wait, you and Trey are...a thing, like dating?" Shane blinked.

"No, but we want to be. I told him I needed time to tell everyone about being bisexual. And yes, Trey is the one I started developing feelings for while broken up with Audrey. That's why he came over earlier, to tell me he remembered what we said that night because the next morning, we hadn't. But we agreed initially, to put it behind us and that we were still the best of friends. Over time, the guilt of cheating bothered me, so I told Audrey the truth and when I didn't know what to do about Trey, I talked to Dad and-" Hunter started as Viola snapped her head up.

"Again? You went to your father again instead of telling everyone?!" Viola yelled.

"Oh, Mom, don't start, please? You know I go to Dad with everything. And what does it matter? I'm telling everyone now," Hunter stated.

"The point is that once more, you show who you care about more! Does the word mean family mean anything to you?" Viola huffed.

"Does it fucking mean anything to you!? Don't you dare get on my case about this again. Families are supposed to love and support one another, and you don't support a god damn thing I do. Like now, your reaction to finding out I'm bisexual and had sex with Treyden, that I like, maybe even love him. Let me guess, one more thing you won't support because you don't think it's right!" Hunter retorted.

"It's not! A man and a woman, Hunter! That's how it's supposed to be! I will not tolerate this...behavior of yours any longer. This was never a problem before the army. I say that you're not bisexual, that Treyden has...brainwashed you into thinking that to serve his fantasies. Everything was fine; you were with Audrey and thing were going great until you decided to let another man rape you," Viola sobbed.

Hunter's eyes widened a little, then narrowed. "Are you fucking kidding me. I already said that Trey didn't rape me! For Odin's sake, I was the one who started making love to him first because I WANTED TO!"

"Vi! That's not how it went; Hunter's been bi since he was a teenager. I know because he told me the day he came home after being kissed by another student in the bathroom who liked him," Salvatore interjected now.

"You don't speak to me. You're always on his side and going behind my back, Sal. No, I refuse to believe my son does these kinds of things. Hunter is just acting out because he knows I hate the homophobes and he's trying to see how far he can go before I snap," Viola retorted as Hunter had enough.

"Treyden didn't rape me! Alright, it wasn't him who started the sex! It was me because I wanted to! You would that if you listened to me just ONCE! Drunk or not, I had the chance to be with the man I'm falling in love with so I took it! This is who your son is, a bisexual in love with a gay and happier than ever before. This is ME, and I'm damn fucking proud of it. So fuck you. I don't need your permission to live my life so why don't you fucking get over yourself and just accept that there isn't a thing you can do to-" Hunter was cut off by Viola rising to her feet, tears in her eyes, and slapping Hunter across the face hard.

~Hunter's POV~

I instantly froze after my mother's hand made contact with my face. It wasn't a tap, not even slap really. My mom actually smacked me across the face as hard as she could, and the room hushed instantly, shocked that she didn't something like that. In all my nineteen years, my mother had never laid a hand on me and apparently learning I was bisexual and in love with Treyden was enough to make her hit me. I didn't even know what to say, the stinging sensation was there, and it hurt. My head was still off to the side, eyes full and in disbelief of what happened.

"You will not take that tone with me. I don't know who you think you are; choosing to go behind my back, never asking my permission, doing whatever you want. That is not how things are done in this house and not how children treat their parents. I raised my son and daughter to respect their elders and obey rules. I raised my kids straight, the way it should be. First, you join the army with no regard for me, I can't even tell you all the remarks I got at work. But this...being... _that_ way and giving up the opportunity to have a wife and children of your own. I work for the mayor! How does it look on me that I failed as a mother for my son to end up this way. No, I won't have it. If you want to be bisexual and have sex with your friend or whoever he is, go ahead. But you will not do it in my house because my son wouldn't hurt and embarrass me like this," Viola stated coldly.

After she said that, her hand whirled around again, backhanding me with her left and splitting my lip open. I touched it to see blood. That was the final straw. "Viola Haddock! Take that back, right now. Hunter, she doesn't mean it, son. It's just...a lot of information to process in one sitting," Salvatore said getting closer to me but I backed shaking my head. I couldn't believe she said those things, and hit me, TWICE at that. "Everyone just needs to calm down," my father tried to soothe.

"I DO mean it, Salvatore. I want this...strange boy or _thing_ out of my house. He isn't my son anymore," Viola demanded.

"Who said I still wanted to be your son when you're just a hateful, spiteful, unsupportive, unloving, hypocritical, and now abusive bitch, " I remarked in a low, cold tone. I saw her eyes widen a little at what I said. I'd cursed before but I'd never gone as far as calling her names, but I didn't care anymore. My mother crossed a line, and I wasn't going to be so easy this time, I closed my eyes before walking to my room and grabbing everything I could.

I packed all my clothes into my two suitcases. I put all my army dress uniforms in a suit bag, then all my ACU's and PT wear in the black bag the military issued me. I packed my tablet, laptop, and chargers into my backpack then everything else into the duffle. Thankfully, it was only about a few big things to carry, and I could make it in one trip to the truck. I made sure I had everything I wouldn't need to come back for, including my posters, movies, music, and bed sheets. I could hear my parents arguing, and I was honestly fighting back crying. I wouldn't, not here. When I had everything ready to leave, I left my room and headed to the door.

"Hunter, please! Don't go," Salvatore hurried over to stop me. He saw my face; the bleeding lip, red cheek, and the other one that was going to bruise.

"I'm not staying here anymore, Dad. She made it clear I'm not wanted, so I'm moving out," I stated opening the door.

"Where are you going to go?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. I'll live in my truck if I have to, but anything and anywhere is better than here," I stormed out of the house and tossed my two suitcases and black bag in the bed of the truck. My garment bag, duffle, and backpack went into the back seat. I shut the doors and looked at the house one more time; I saw my mother about to cry as if she wanted to take back what she said and have me stay. "I sincerely hope you did mean what you said, Viola Haddock, because you don't get the chance to take retract your statement this time and you will never see me again," I glared before getting into the driver's side, starting up my truck and taking off down the road. I was hurt, and I was done.


	40. Time To Heal

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Time To Heal

(Haddock Residence)

No one knew what to say. Out of everything the people not in the Haddock family witnessed, the most shocking was seeing Viola smack and backhand Hunter hard enough to cause an imprint and split his lip open. Even Caitlyn was shocked and now worried for her elder brother who she had never seen get so cold in her entire life. Hunter's eyes went void of all emotion, blanket almost as he packed everything he owned and wanted to take with him in a matter of ten minutes then firmly stated that it would be the last time Viola ever saw him and she couldn't get back what she had done. The worst part, Hunter didn't say where he was going; only that anywhere was better than the house. While Hunter had packed his things, Viola and Salvatore had it out bad.

Though, it was mainly Sal yelling at her that he couldn't believe she would strike their son and who cared if he was bisexual because at least he was happy. Viola knew she was wrong; she knew it the minute Hunter remarked with his words of calling her a bitch and she also realized she hurt him and now he'd never forgive her, and she wouldn't see him again.

"I think it might be best if we leave kids," Gregory stated in the silence in reference to Fisher, Heather, Eddie, Drew, Audrey, Renee, and Travis. Shane nodded in agreement with his parents. "Sal, are you going to be alright, my friend?"

"I-I don't even know. My wife just kicked out and disowned my son after hitting him. Now, Hunter's gone off Thor only knows where and likely more upset than when he found out Audrey terminated the pregnancy of hers and Hunter's child," Sal stopped a moment, "That wasn't meant to bring up old memories, Audrey, just reference," he added.

"It's okay. Hunter and I both moved past that, but we'll never forget," Audrey replied.

"I just hope he's okay," Renee said softly, "I've never seen him look so cold before,"

"Mom! How could you do that to him? Do you know how hard it is for someone to come out of the proverbial closet? How hard it was for Hunter to tell us all that. Who cares if he always goes to Dad, that's just where he's comfortable. Dad is another male, maybe Hunter felt weird talking to you both about the fact Trey and him had sex and admitting to wanting one another," Caitlyn scolded.

"It's not just this, Caitlyn. He goes to Sal about everything," Viola replied with a cracked tone.

"So what! Hunter is right, you don't support anything he does or wants to do! Dad does so who's fault is it that he gravitates towards Dad when he has a problem. It couldn't have been easy for Hunter to have to tell us he's bisexual when he knows half the world is against it, or that a drunken night led to Trey and him realizing they liked each other, or that night ended with him cheating on Audrey! Either way, Hunter knows you won't support him so he doesn't tell you anything. You went to too far!" Caitlyn shouted.

"Caitlyn is right, Auntie Vi. You didn't support him, you kicked him out, told him he wasn't your son. Then hit him twice. You split his lip open, that's...Wow, I don't have words for it. You hurt him bad and it will be a miracle if we manage to get a hold of him at all for the next twenty-four hours. I've already tried," Shane mentioned.

"We did as well," Travis said with Heather raising her hand up.

"I tried to, and now it's going right to voicemail, so he's purposely ignoring calls by turning his phone off," Fisher stated softly.

"I didn't mean...everything I said to him. I just got so worked-" Viola started.

"You said you meant everything and that's why Hunter said what he did! That he hoped you meant it because not you can't take it back and won't see him again. I just can't believe you were that heartless to him so in the same words you used. I don't know who you are but my wife wouldn't hurt the family like this," Salvatore stated as he returned inside and went to Hunter's room, the man sat on the bed and cried knowing how hurt Hunter was and having no idea where he'd go. Caitlyn only shook her head and went to her room as well, still trying to contact Hunter. Everyone else left quietly as Viola sat on the couch with her face in her hands.

"What have I done..." she whimpered out.

(A Week Later)

Salvatore was a worried father, nothing at all from Hunter and it had been a week. Literally, they were back to Sunday again. Sal tried calling the military bases to see if Hunter was at any of them but everyone replied that they couldn't give out that information. Hunter's phone was still off and no matter where they looked, even at the bars and motels, they couldn't find Hunter anywhere.

"Nothing from the lad?" Gregory asked as he'd come over to visit his friend. Audrey, Heather, and Renee were over to see Caitlyn knowing she was upset about not having her brother be home. Every time they saw his room so empty, it hurt a little more knowing he wasn't just on a trip but rather gone for good.

"No. The bases won't tell me, and I don't have any idea where Hunter would go," Salvatore sighed heavily.

"Well, it's the military, Sal. You should know they won't just tell you where someone is over the phone. You'd have to go there, and at that, you don't know which base he could be working at. You know it changes," Gregory informed.

"He's not in the Berkton bars or motels; we checked them all. We called the Archi City ones, and still nothing there. Just like last time, we checked everywhere he could be, and he just vanished," Caitlyn mentioned to Greg.

"Well, I'm not sure how much comfort it will offer but remember last time that after two days, his CO showed up with the military police saying Hunter hadn't reported to work. It's been a week now and no visits so Hunter must have let them know he needed time off or he's been showing for his job. So Hunter has to be okay," Gregory stated.

"Aye, it's some comfort," Sal replied.

"You know, it just dawned on me. There is one place we didn't check because it's not in the city or Berkton," Audrey offered as Caitlyn and Sal looked at her quickly. "Treyden's. That's who know how to find him when Hunter figured out about the abortion and that's who Hunter went to immediately after learning Cait and I being paired for that baby project. Trey lives in Bashwick, fifteen minutes from here but with Hunter that upset, I think he'd go somewhere he knew wouldn't turn him away. Who better than the man he's in love with?"

"Of course! Why didn't we think of it sooner?! Hunter would go right to Treyden, someone he cares about and trusts who has the room for Hunter to stay for a while. Dad, call Trey. We have his number now," Caitlyn exclaimed. Sal grabbed his cell phone and dialed Treyden's number.

(Fury Residence)

Yes, Hunter was at Treyden's because he didn't know where else to go after everything that happened. Hunter arrived a week ago after leaving his parent's house, Trey instantly knew something was wrong too and hurried to find out. Seeing all the bags in the truck, he understood that Hunter left his home and then noticing the marks on his face only filled Trey with anger that someone hurt Hunter over coming out. Hunter told Treyden and his father everything, of course they wouldn't turn him away so Hunter was set back up in the guest room with help from Theo and Andrew who also knew what was going on too. Treyden was appalled to discover that Viola struck Hunter twice. The slap mark had faded, still some signs of light bruising though. The backhand mark was completely bruised and the lip scabbed over now.

Treyden knew Hunter was hurting; he'd fallen in to somewhat of a depression but still taking care of himself and going to work every day. However, when Harry saw the marks, it sparked a huge problem. Treyden remembered it well.

 **/Flashback/**

 _It was the Monday morning following Hunter being kicked out and disowned by his mother, the man was still upset and the pain fresh. As expected the abuse marks showed on his face when he walked into work, and Harry Andersen saw him._

" _Lieutenant Haddock, forgive my language here but what the fuck happened to you!?" Harry demanded upon seeing Hunter after he clocked in._

" _It's...a long story that I don't want to get into right now. I came by to let you know my residence for the time being has changed, I'm living with Master Sergeant Treyden Fury. My...mother has disowned and kicked me out for being bisexual, these," Hunter motioned to his cheeks, "are from her," he finished._

" _Your mother gave you those bruises. Lieutenant, is there...abuse going on in your home?" Harry inquired._

" _No, sir. Its the first and only time she's struck me because she didn't like that I said I was bisexual, she doesn't support it just like she hates be being in the army. I came out so to speak, and she flew off the handle. There are tons of witnesses to that. I'm not...pressing charges or anything, I just packed my stuff and left. Treyden is letting me stay with him until I figure something else out. An apartment or something," Hunter, informed._

" _I see. Very well, I'll make a temp residence change in your file. However, as a personal request because I know the hurt and pain in your eyes, Lieutenant Haddock, if you start feeling depressed and like hurting yourself. I want you to see the psychiatrist and if you hurt yourself at all, we will press charges and we can do it without your consent because it's the law and considered assisted suicide if she did something to make you feel like your life isn't worth living because of your sexuality. Is that understood?" Harry stated firmly._

" _Yes, sir. I'm...okay, just going to take some time is all," Hunter replied._

" _I understand and you're going to get questioned a lot about those marks so for a safety measure, I want you to let me take a few pictures as proof and fill out a report that you were hurt off the base. It will go in with that situation I mentioned about pursuing abuse charges on your mother if you hurt yourself or start feeling depressed because of it all," Harry requested. Hunter only nodded as the process began._

/ **End Flashback/**

Treyden had been with Hunter when that was explained, later that day Theo and Andrew found out too. So now the abuse was on file at work and if Hunter got low because of it, they were going after Violafor it. Trey supposed he couldn't blame them, something like this could be enough to get Hunter depressed and hurting himself because Hunter broke down for an hour when he showed up at Trey's door asking if he could stay for a while until he figured something else you. Trey only brought him inside while Dustin offered to get the bags. Hunter cried in Treyden's arms and then calmed down enough to tell them everything about coming out. Trey and Dustin couldn't believe it, they knew people were against homosexuality but for a mother to strike her child over it? It was dispicable.

Today was a day that Hunter was just sitting around quietly, Theo and Andrew were over trying to cheer him up, but it wasn't working. Trey understood the hurt and pain; it wouldn't just go away in a week. Suddenly, Treyden's cell phone rang, and he glanced at the caller ID. "It's...your Dad, Hunt? Do you want me to answer it or no?" Trey asked softly.

"You can, but if ends up being _her_ , hang up. You can tell my Dad, though, I'm just not in the mood to talk right now," Hunter replied while being curled up on the couch, shoes off, and laying his head on the pillow.

"Hello?" Treyden answered calmly.

" _Treyden, thank Thor you answered. Ha-Have you seen or heard from Hunter in the last week? There was...a big fight between his Mom an-"_ Salvatore began, and Treyden sighed.

"Calm down, Mr. Haddock. Hunter is here and has been since last Sunday; I know what happened," Treyden informed.

" _Thank Odin. Is...he alright?"_ Salvatore asked.

"He's accepted and coping with it, alright might be stretching the truth," Treyden admitted. "It's gonna take him a while to be okay again. His mother hit him twice and disowned him; you don't just be alright from that," he added.

" _I just...want to make sure he hasn't hurt himself. Last time he was this upset, he had been drinking for two days,"_ Sal reminded.

"There wasn't a last time for this, Mr. Haddock. Hunter was upset for an entirely different reason, this, hurts him a lot more," Treyden stated. Then Dustin came in the room and offered his hand for the phone while motioning that Hunter had his face on the pillow again and shaking a little, crying again.

"I'll talk to Salvatore. I think Hunter needs you more right now, son," Dustin said. Treyden handed his father the phone and went to Hunter to console him the best he could by holding him and rubbing his back. "Hello, Mr. Haddock," he greeted while leaving the room.

" _Hello again, Dustin. I just want to make sure he's okay; I know my wife hurt him deeply,"_ Sal sighed.

"I know, Hunter told us everything after crying for an hour. The marks are healing nicely, almost faded and he's been going to work every day since it happened. Theo, Andrew, Treyden, and I have been helping the best we can. Also, Major Andersen is aware of what happened too, pictures were taken, and a report filled out but has not been filed with the authorities as Hunter doesn't want to press charges on her," Dustin enlightened.

" _Why did a report need to be filled out?"_ Caitlyn inquired lightly.

"Because Hunter was living at home the time that it happened, the military considers it abuse. Hunter went into work the next day after it happened, Harry insisted on taking pictures and filling out a report and urged Hunter to seek psychiatric help if he started having thoughts of self-harm or suicide. Also, Harry said he would file that report Hunter signed if he hurt himself at all," Dustin explained.

" _What he means, Sal, is that if Hunter hurts or tries to kill himself because of being disowned, kicked out, and abused by Viola for being bisexual. Harry will file the report with the pictures as evidence to the authorities. Vi will be arrested for one or all charges of abuse, a hate crime against the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender community, and assisted suicide. She will face a judge, probably get put away for a few years too. It's seriously a thing, but she's safe because Hunter chose not to press charges. If anything develops mentally because of what she did, the military will get justice for him,"_ Gregory stated when Sal had said he didn't understand.

" _But, he's not...feeling that way? Is he?"_ Caitlyn asked.

"Unfortunately, it's hard to tell right now. Hunter's mood has been pretty nonexistent since it happened other than a few crying sessions which Trey has sat with him through. Hunter gets up, showers, goes to work, comes home, eats, showers again, and then sits in his room. He keeps the door open, Trey and I check on him, ask he's okay, and he typically doesn't answer just shrugs or starts to cry. Like now, he's in the main room but upset, so Trey and their friends are trying to comfort him," Dustin answered honestly.

" _Can you try to keep us posted, Dustin? And let Hunter know he can come back home, I told Viola she has no right to kick him out,"_ Sal mentioned.

"I'll let him know, but I doubt he'll change his mind about retur-" Dustin stopped short.

"I'm never...going...back there...a-and she'll...never see me again! I don't care what she says...or what she...does but I'll never forgive her! Not this time, I made...my stance clear last week. She doesn't get the right to take back what she did and said to me. You can remind her that she doesn't have a son anymore, and as far as she's concerned or not, who the fuck knows anymore, but he's dead!" yelled Hunter's voice.

"Hunter! Wait, come back!" Andrew called. There was a door shutting heard close by.

" _Dustin! What happened, where did he go?!"_ Sal asked quickly.

(Haddock Household)

Salvatore and Caitlyn panicked after Hunter yelled what he did, then a door slamming shut. "Dustin! What happened, where did he go?!" Sal tried.

" _Hunter, please open the door. No one is going to make you go back, you can stay here as long as you want,"_ Dustin's voice was heard after a few knocks on a door.

" _Let me try, Dad,"_ Treyden sighed softly. Another few knocks were heard now, _"Hunt? Hey, it's okay. Nobody said you had to go back and see her. I think...your dad was just saying you're welcome to go home if you want because your mother doesn't have the right to kick anyone out. No one...expects you to forgive her, I sure as shit wouldn't. Please, open the door? You don't have to come out, but I want to make sure that you're okay. I don't want you to be alone right now. Please let met in, baby?"_ Treyden coaxed gently.

"Baby? Are they...together already?" Renee asked.

" _No, they aren't together, but it's a form of comfort to Hunter to be spoken to as a lover would so he knows he's not alone and Trey is standing beside him through it all,"_ Dustin informed calmly.

"Is it going to work? Will Hunter come out of the room?" Heather questioned. A moment later they heard sniffling, a lock flip, then a door open.

" _I-I just want to be happy. Why...can't my mother want...that for me too? She...hates me...because I'm...different,"_ Hunter sobbed out.

" _I know. I know, baby. Some people just don't understand that love comes in all forms to all people, it doesn't matter if they aren't the same gender. You know how she is, Hunter and she'll never understand who you are. Some people can't change and are set in their ways. So let her hate all she wants, but know those who actually accept you will never leave your side. Your dad, cousin, aunt, uncle, godfather, our friends, your sister, my father even. And hey, you have me. Not only do I accept you but I love you too, Hunt and I'm not going anywhere. You will always have me and I'll have your back as a best friend, battle buddy, partner, and lover until the day I take my last breath,"_ Treyden said to Hunter and then more sniffling was heard along with something that sounded like a small kiss. _"I promise you that,"_ Trey added.

" _I think we should leave the two of them alone for now,"_ came Theo's voice as the sniffling and crying got farther away.

" _He'll be okay with time, Sal. Your wife hurt him pretty deeply, just about broke his heart and I feel only time and my son will be able heal the pain and fix what has been broken,"_ Dustin said lightly. _"I should go for now, I'll give you updates as I can but it might be best to leave him be for a bit. You won't be able to contact him, I know he changed his number and very few people have that right now so I'd wait for Trey to let you know,"_

"I understand. Thank you, Dustin. Just let Hunter know that Dad and Caitlyn love him and are here if he needs anything at all," Salvatore stated. After that, the call ended and Salvatore sighed. It was to be expected and somehow, Salvatore knew that is what he's be told. That Hunter needed time to heal.


	41. We're Official

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

We're Official

Two weeks had passed since that day where Salvatore, Caitlyn, Heather, Gregory, Renee, Heather, and Audrey heard Hunter breakdown about what his mother did, how much she hurt him. However, they also got to hear Treyden get through to Hunter and get him out of the room so he wouldn't be alone and risk hurting himself if the pain became too much. It was a concerning matter, too much pain could set anyone off to harming themselves as a way to alleviate some pain. It was now the middle of May and Hunter was doing better. It would always bother him how his mother reacted to Hunter's coming out of the closet, not even that. Hunter fully expected her to be upset and not support him, what hurt him was being hit twice and referred to as a _thing_ and to get out of the house because Hunter wasn't her son anymore. That hurt a lot.

With time just as Dustin proclaimed on the phone, Hunter was coming around to being more active and smiling again. Treyden liked it, it wasn't easy to see Hunter so upset but who could blame him after what happened. Thankfully, Hunter never hurt himself and the injuries he sustained from being hit by his mother. Of course, Treyden knew Hunter would heal with time, all he cared about was Hunter not being depressed anymore. Treyden and Hunter had been getting closer too, sharing more kisses and spending time together. Trey was an active role in helping Hunter feel better because he checked on him throughout each day and did what he could to cheer Hunter up.

Now that Hunter was more cheerful and seemed to be in a better state of mind, Treyden was wondering if it was time for them to talk about a possible relationship or if Hunter was ready for one. Initially, Hunter said the day he came out to his family and friends to give it a little time to let things settle, but since that got blown way out of proportion by Viola, Treyden wasn't sure where they stood other than them loving one another. It wasn't hard to figure out that they were even with how little time had passed since the feelings were realized and made known. There were a lot of factors in all that which would be discussed if they talked soon but Treyden was just waiting for Hunter to let him know or give him a sign of wanting to pursue things.

Hunter did give his father, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, and friends his new number and said if anyone gave it to Viola, he would write them off just as quickly he did to her. No one wanted to tempt that anger, so they didn't even mention getting in contact with Hunter on their own. Sal and Cait both lied saying that they got updates from Dustin or Trey. Today was a quiet day at work, and it was Wednesday to boot, so things were dragging on. Hunter was working with Trey, Theo, and Andrew at Fort Draco to prepare for those new recruits to integrate into Alpha Hooligan Platoon. It was nearing lunch time; the boys already decided to go out to a fast food joint and relax there for an hour or little less because of driving.

(Lunch Hour)

"So how many people are coming into Hooligan?" Andrew inquired after the four of them ordered their meals and took a seat at in a booth to eat.

"Well, there's fifteen of us now, and according to Andersen, each platoon will have thirty each, so we're getting another fifteen," Trey informed calmly while eating one of his fries.

"So the squads will be uneven then?" Theo pointed out.

"No, I spoke with Harry already. Hooligan will be made up of two fourteen soldier squads. There will be twenty-eight in our platoon," Hunter corrected with his eyes closed and looking over a few sheets of paper that had names, marksmanship level, age, addresses, etc.

"What's that you're going over?" Treyden inquired curiously.

"Well, Harry gave each platoon leader a master list of the recruits who best fit into the style we already have. Such as closeness, how their training went, where they excelled and needed work, shooter level. Harry wants us to have people we can work with on the off chance we deploy again," Hunter explained.

"Example?" Andrew inquired.

"Uh, remember how we did a lot of heavily enemy sighted patrol areas or above level five missions because of how well we did in training and what not?" Hunter mentioned, and the three nodded. "Harry is making sure we get people who can mesh in with where we rank for that kind of stuff," he added in.

"Oh, got it. So you're going over the list that has their stats because you're the team leader and know how we run things?" Theo questioned, and Hunter gave a single nod as his reply.

"Harry wants the picks turned in by Friday so he can try and give the leaders of platoons the ones we choose, then on Monday after the recruits graduate, the platoon heads will be present to get their new soldiers and explain how things work, add them to the group call and walkie-talkie thing. I guess that's becoming a significant use now," Hunter shrugged.

"Sounds like you have homework for the next two days then," Treyden chuckled a bit. "I'll help if you want, I am your second in command after all," he offered.

"I'd like that," Hunter smiled, "Thank you," he said and kissed Trey's cheek, effectively making him blush.

"Wh-What was that for?" Treyden asked.

"For all you have done for me since we met and made my life infinitely better and happier than it was. I don't know where I'd be without you, Trey," Hunter admitted. "You have been immensely patient with me while I dealt with everything the last few weeks,"

"Well, that's part of a relationship. Any of them. Patience, understanding, kindness, giving space but also being there when you can. I just wanted to do what I could for you, I don't like seeing you upset," Treyden replied.

"One of the many things I love about you. On that subject though, I did tell you that after things settled, we could be together. If you still want to that is?" Hunter inquired as Treyden's eyes lit up with excitement.

"O-Of course! Yes," Trey responded.

"Then we can talk about it tonight, sound good?" Hunter smiled, and Treyden nodded to him as they all continued to enjoy their meals while talking at random and Hunter going over the list still.

(Fury Residence)

Treyden's father was out with a few Navy friends, Theo and Andrew were in their apartment since they shared one now to be closer to Fort Draco where all four of them seemed to report to work now and then throughout the day ended up traveling to other bases in the towns around Archi City. Treyden had considered moving with them, but then things happened with Hunter and Audrey so he opted not to go with them so he could help Hunter out. Now, it was just the two of them sitting on the couch so they could talk about being together in an actual relationship.

"S-So where should we start with this?" Treyden asked nervously; the man never had a relationship before or anyone interested in him. This was a very new concept to Trey and Hunter understood that. "I've never...done this before. I don't know if you remember that from your birthday," he added shyly.

"Trey, relax. Okay? It's okay to be nervous. You've never had a romantic relationship before; it's normal for you to feel the way you do. The cool thing about our situation is that we don't have to spend time getting to know one another because we've been best friends since June 2016, almost three years next months in fact. You know things I like as I do with you, so we already cut out a lot of the newer relationship aspects. That's where most start, just getting to know someone with a few dates before real dating," Hunter informed.

"O-Okay. Then where would we begin? Being boyfriend and...boyfriend?" Treyden shrugged once unsure of how to word it.

"Typically, yes. We'd be starting at the stage where we're dating and in a...I suppose the word would be committed relationship. Whereas we'd ditch other hookups and what not, but neither of us has people like that. My only ex is Audrey, and she is happy for us. Also, she and I know that we're better off friends. But there other things to figure out so I think we should start there with figuring out certain aspects of our relationship," Hunter stated with a calm smile.

"What type of aspects?" Treyden questioned.

"Well, one of the main things couples try to establish right off the bat is if this will be a public or private thing. Meaning are we a couple when we're alone or are we gonna be a couple out in public eye. For me, I accepted I was bi a long time ago even though I hid it because of mainly my mother's stance on it. Since the fight, I don't care anymore. I'm not hiding who I am to appease her or anyone else so for me; I'm cool with being in public about it. I can ignore haters, and I'll say something if somebody wants to make comments," Hunter enlightened.

"I've always been shy about being gay because it's something that a lot of people don't agree with. Only my parents knew until I developed feelings for you. Now I think a lot of people know. Either way, being around you makes me more confident in things, so I don't mind others outside of the friendship circle knowing. Love is love, don't matter your gender," Trey admitted in agreement to Hunter's words.

"So we'll be an exclusive couple, that's the technical term for it, or so I've read. So, the next thing is usually deciding how we'd be sexually when we get into it. I know we've had sex before but that was a very drunken night, and I don't anticipate we'd be like that every time. The first aspect is if we're going to continue engaging in intimate relations with one another or hold off for a bit while we get adjusted to being together. The second aspect is Top, Bottom, or Versatile for when we do have sex," Hunter continued.

"I don't know where to put the continuing to have sex bit. I mean most new couples wait a bit don't they?" Trey asked.

"Yes. But we're not most _new_ couples, are we? This all started because we were drunk enough to admit our feelings for one another. I told you I liked someone who I thought was straight and was afraid to lose our friendship; I was referring to you because I didn't know if you were bi or gay and I didn't want to lose our friendship if I said I liked you. You told me that you wanted someone who was taken and seemed happy, you talked about wanting me, but I was Audrey and seemed happy. By the time I kissed you, it had come out I wasn't happy with her and bisexual, and you told me you were gay, and we said we liked one another," Hunter reminded.

"True but when you think about it, we weren't that wasted because we knew what was going on. I was aware you kissed me, the admittance of feelings, then we just kept going and could have stopped but chose not to because we both had the chance to have the other one. I suppose though getting back on topic, maybe we put it on hold for now while we settle with being together?" Trey suggested. "Month or two? I won't lie, it was incredible for me, and that was my first time, so I want to be able to repeat it, and as you said, not drunk," he added.

"I can get behind that. Well, here's what we'll do then. We can leave it alone for a month, see how things go and revisit the idea then. If we need more time, we'll take it and if not we'll go for it. Sound alright?" Hunter offered.

"Perfect to me. Now, what was the other thing you mentioned for when it came to having sex?" Trey inquired curiously.

"Oh, the Top, Bottom, or Versatile thing," Hunter remembered. "You know what that refers to, right?" he quizzed.

Trey lifted his hand gave a motion of _kind'a_. "I get top and bottom. It's...Dominant and Submissive or giver and receiver, something like that?" Trey questioned.

"Yes. Exactly. It would mean that when we go to have sex; do you want to be top or bottom? But there's the versatile aspect which is where we can switch off. It doesn't always have to be that way though. If there's a time you prefer to be bottom after a long day or work or something, I can be top, or maybe I'm exhausted after a drill weekend, but you're ready to go, I can be the bottom and let you have the fun. However, perhaps a night where we're just going nuts with it, we can switch off. I do a little, you do a bit and get off the same way we did the night of my birthday," Hunter explained.

"I don't know how I'd want to be. I-I liked you being in control, but also it was fun when you let me do it to you. I suppose I don't mind versatile. It gives us the freedom of going with how we feel that particular night. Are there times where we just get off but no intercourse or...?" Trey pondered.

"Of course, it doesn't always have to be sex. We can just use foreplay to release. Having sex every time can make you too sore, gotta have time to rest up and relax," Hunter confirmed with a nod.

"What's the next thing?" Treyden laughed a little; this was kind of fun and exciting to figure out.

"Everything else would in the sexual department. Limits, boundaries, stuff like that," Hunter informed.

"Such as?" Treyden questioned curiously.

"It's just things we'd be comfortable doing to one another. Uh, holding hands, kissing, hugging, making out, mutual masturbation, types of sexual positions, foreplay too," Hunter named off just a few.

"Well, I assume all the positions we could do are ones that any couple does, just...slower to get used to the feeling at first, right?" Treyden guessed.

"Well, in the beginning, yes. After a while, I assume it becomes second nature to feeling a little pressure and sting at first and then it fades," Hunter confessed lightly.

"What about all the foreplay, same thing? Fingering, licking, sucking, stuff like we did that night?" Treyden wondered while recalling some of the things Hunter did to him.

"That's your basic...run of the mill foreplay, but there is...so much more. There's...anal beads, dildos, rimming, spanking, etc. You can research all that if you want too but most of it gives itself away. Though you gave me the confused face when I said rimming, so that's mouth to ass. Like...how girls get eaten out, some guys like it. For you and me, well, it's up in the air because neither of us has experienced it before so we can always test the waters if you want," Hunter offered.

"Works for me. So, this might be a stupid question but humor me a second; what's it gonna be like at our job?" Trey pointed out questioningly.

"Huh. Not sure. The military doesn't judge, and it got discussed in Basic during the first phase that everyone has to respect one another regardless of personal feelings. But also, there's a rank difference to consider. I'm an officer, and you're considered enlisted still, not sure how that one plays out so let's stay on the safe side and keep to hugs, light kisses, or hand holding. I don't think it will be a problem as long as we aren't engaging in sexual activities on the clock," Hunter replied honestly.

"I'm down for that, wouldn't want to get in trouble. I-Is that everything we were supposed to cover?" Trey glanced over at Hunter.

"I think so. I'm sure if anything else comes up we can sit down and talk about it. The rest is understanding, trust, and communication but that's for any relationship," Hunter informed.

"Right. Um, I guess I'm curious on one thing, though," Treyden mentioned.

"And that would be?" Hunter invited for him to continue.

"A-Are we in the like or...love stage of this. A-And I only ask because the night it came out we said like but since then at different times, we've said love," Treyden asked.

"You bring up a good point. Well, what do you think we're at. It's apparent that our friendship along keeps us close and we didn't lose that after a night of drunken admittance of feelings or the best sex ever, my personal opinion and I even told Audrey that what you and I had was nothing like when she and I did it. Audrey mentioned something about we loved one another, but weren't _in_ love like you and me are. Wasn't sure how to take it but starting to see what she meant. How do you see us, Trey? Are still in liking one another or do you feel its deeper than that after everything since the start of us being aware?" Hunter inquired to Treyden.

"Being honest, I think it's deeper than like. How do you feel about it?" Treyden looked at Hunter wondering his reply.

"I feel the same, so I suppose that puts us at a minor love stage; meaning we know it's deeper than a crush and like but we don't know just how deep yet since we've only just started dating. I think it's enough we can say I love you if we wanted to. If you are comfortable with it?" Hunter answered.

"It's fine with me. Does this make us dating then?" Trey smiled softly as Hunter linked his fingers with Treyden's, returning the smile.

"Would you like me to make it official and ask you?" Hunter chuckled. Treyden blushed a little.

"Was hoping you would. Add to the excitement and joy of it?" Treyden admitted bashfully. Hunter got off the couch and crouched down a bit while holding Trey's hands.

"Treyden, will you be my boyfriend?" Hunter asked calmly with a loving smile to him.

"I will, Hunter," Treyden replied lightly as Hunter got up and bent over to kiss Treyden deeply, Trey melted into it before they separated. "I love you," Trey panted a little, Hunter's kisses set his body on fire. It was going to be hard staying away from wanting Hunter to ravage him for a month.

"I love you too," Hunter responded as they stared into each other's eyes. Finally, they were officially a couple.


	42. Warned

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Warned

Hunter and Treyden loved being in a relationship together. Sure there were some haters, but the two lovers didn't care. At work, there was always respect, and in public, everyone would keep their comments to themselves. Harry knew of the relationship and brought Hunter and Trey in to remind them of the rules which were what Hunter assumed initially. The platoon didn't mind at all; they wished Hunter and Treyden the best. Hunter started going around and seeing his family and friends again but never his mother; he stood by what he said of not forgiving her, and everyone understood that he had good reason not to. Hunter hadn't yet told his family about being official with Treyden, though, officially they had been together for a month now.

It was the middle of June; Caitlyn and all Hunter's friends were graduating High School next week on Saturday. This week on Friday, they were having their end of the year party that Hunter recalled had been going on since the seventh grade. It was just a get together for them to celebrate the year being over and all still being friends. Hunter had been invited but said that since it fell on a night where he didn't get back to Treyden's until 6:30 almost. And knowing that Viola would be there, it was best he didn't come. Hunter did say he'd be there for graduation and just sit in the back with a pair of binoculars. Today was that Friday party, Hunter wasn't around Treyden since Hunter had to do a lot of driving around to deliver things to other bases.

Aside from Fort Draco, which was the main; there were stations in other towns. Smaller ones that acted as support bases like how it was overseas. A central base, then support ones around it. The bases around Draco were located in Berkton, Ughurst, Meatsville, Huntsmar, Outford, and Murdmount. The new recruits for Alpha Hooligan were finally placed where they should be; Hunter got most of his picks, so now the platoon had twenty-eight. The other platoons had different numbers, bringing the company number up to ninety-two. Hunter heard the rumor that two more platoons would be mixing with Plasma Fire to put them at one hundred and fifty total, that was the maximum for a company, so it worked out.

Hunter and Treyden went out on a few dates; they tried to do at least one a week whether it be going out to the movies or dinner. Usually, they were too tired to do anything else because of work, but on the off chance they got a second wind of energy; they would go to the shooting range; that was always a good time. Hunter was glad his day was over, it was 6:15, bit late clocking out but he was ready to get to Treyden's. The two agreed that they would wait a month before doing anything sexual and tonight marked the month of them getting together, so Hunter had something planned for them. Quiet dinner that he was cooking, movie that Trey had been dying to see and Hunter rented, then maybe a little intimate session before bed. The agreement was to wait and see if they were ready and settled with being together so that would be a conversation topic this evening.

However, getting to his truck, Hunter noticed Treyden wasn't there waiting but Theo and Andrew were standing by it and looking around. "Hey, guys, what's up?" Hunter asked.

"We're looking for Trey, he's been weird all day since lunch hour while you were stuck in Ughurst," Andrew informed which made Hunter a little concerned.

"Define weird?" Hunter questioned.

"It's hard to say. Trey was all right, then at lunch, he got a call and didn't recognize the number, so he didn't answer it. The caller left a voicemail, and he listened to it. Afterward, he just left the mess hall, and we haven't seen him since," Theo voiced sadly, a sign for Hunter to understand that they were worried about Treyden too.

"We came out here to see if he went to the truck but we've checked around and nothing, plus he won't answer calls. We're getting ready to let Harry know," Andrew added in.

"Give me a minute. My phone died three hours ago, and I was texting him until then. My charger has been here in the truck. If he doesn't answer me, we'll let Harry know something is wrong," Hunter stated firmly as the two friends nodded in response then Hunter unlocked the truck and grabbed his charger, he plugged in his phone and gave it a few minutes to charge then power on. Hunter waited to see if he'd get any texts in that were delayed. Finally, he dialed Trey and waited for a pickup.

" _Hello?"_ came a cracked tone answer after five rings.

"Babe? Where are you?" Hunter replied with worry; he knew that sound. It meant Trey is or had been crying recently.

" _I-I'm back...ho-home. I left around 1:45 pm by bus,"_ Treyden responded while sniffling.

"Why did you leave early, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Hunter considered curiously.

" _N-No, I'm...not sick. I just...Can you come to the house and I'll...tell you when you get here?"_ Treyden questioned softly.

"Of course, I'll be right there. Give me twenty minutes, okay?" Hunter enlightened.

" _Okay. See you when you arrive. Bye,"_ Treyden said, and then the call ended as Hunter looked at Theo Andrew.

"He left work at 1:45, took the bus home. Says he's not sick but he's been crying or still is, I'll keep you guys posted," Hunter said as he got in the truck and turned it on, then unrolled the windows to let it air out some. Theo and Andrew nodded as the stepped out of the way and Hunter backed out and headed for Trey's house.

(Fury Residence)

As soon as Hunter parked with the vehicle off, he hurried into the house to see Treyden on lying on the couch with tears falling slowly. Hunter shut the door to the room and quickly moved beside his boyfriend to hug him. Once in Hunter's arms, Treyden started crying more.

"Baby, what's wrong? Talk to me? Did someone at work say something to upset you because Harry told us we could report that to him," Hunter asked gently while trying to comfort Trey who shook his head and pulled back to wipe his eyes.

"No. No, it was nothing anyone at work said. I got a call at lunch from a number...I didn't recognize so I left it alone. Ten minutes later, there was a voicemail alert, so I listened to it and realized...the caller was...your mom," Treyden sniffled. Hunter's eyes widened. His mother contacted Treyden? And said some things to upset Trey enough to leave work early.

"What did she tell you? Tell me, Trey, or show me the voicemail if you still have it?" Hunter demanded politely. Trey got his phone out of his pocket and brought up the message for Hunter then handed him the device as Hunter put it to his ear to listen. Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing; Viola was rude, offensive, disrespectful, and a complete bitch in her voicemail to Treyden. When the message was over, Hunter forwarded it to his phone and saved it. "Don't listen to her, baby. I started liking you when Audrey and I were broken up, and you began to want to be with me when I got back with Audrey. You had nothing to do with her and I breaking up, and none of what has happened since I came out is your fault. We made this choice together on mutual agreements," he assured.

"I-I know that Hunt but..." Treyden wept softly as Hunter shook his head.

"No buts. My...mother is just being a bitch, and that's all. I'll take care of it right now," Hunter declared as he kissed Treyden's cheek and handed him a few tissues to wipe his eyes and blow his nose, then Hunter helped Trey to his feet and led him outside to the truck. Hunter and Trey climbed in then put on their seatbelts. After Hunter had started the truck, he and Treyden were on their way to Berkton.

(Haddock Household)

Though it was meant to be a happy party to celebrate the friends about to graduate from High School, it wasn't the same without Hunter around. Difficult to believe it had been a month and a half since he left because his mother hurt him. Hunter said he wasn't coming tonight because it was a long work day and he knew Viola would be there.

"Wish he was here," Caitlyn looked down sadly. The gate to the backyard opened as two military officers walked in and right over to Viola. "What's going on?" Caitlyn asked with confusion rising.

"Are you Viola Haddock, ma'am?" asked one officer on the right.

"Y-Yes?" Viola replied. Without another word, the left side policeman brought Viola to her feet by holding her arm and then the second officer put her arms behind her back while cuffing them.

"Viola Haddock, you are under arrest for a hate crime against a member of the LGBT community, harassment, domestic abuse, and domestic violence. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed you. Do you understand the rights you have been given?" spoke the officer on the left holding her by the arm when the handcuffs were in place. Salvatore stood up and looked at Gregory now who sighed shaking his head as if to say; _I told you this could happen_.

"I understand my rights," Viola replied shakily.

"Wait a minute! Did something happen to Hunter?! Is he okay?!" Salvatore asked quickly, worried that something happened to his son.

The gate opened once more as Hunter walked through with Treyden. Theo and Andrew were next to Trey and led him to sit down as Hunter faced his mother. "You couldn't stop, could you?" Hunter asked firmly. "Well, that's fine because I know my rights and have them to fall back on. Since you continue to persist your never ending desire to hurt me until I snap, I've decided to use the ace up my sleeve by filing that report I made six weeks ago,"

"Hunter?! Are you having mom arrested? Now, I know things are tense between you two but-" Caitlyn started.

"Stay out of this. What she has done doesn't even cover _tense_." Hunter spat out coldly keeping his eyes on his mother.

"Hunter, what is going on? I don't understand," Salvatore stepped closer to Hunter now.

"So nobody knows what you did. Perfect, I'd be delighted to tell them. Or better yet; maybe you should tell them yourself. I think your voice will be enough," Hunter informed as he got his phone and hooked it up to a small speaker then located the voicemail Viola left on Treyden's mobile. Hunter hit play and turned it up a bit.

" _ **I don't blame you for not answering my call; I know you don't know my number since my son hates me because of you. It's Viola, you know, the mother of the man you stole away. Why him! Why did you have to take him? Things were going just fine between Audrey and him, they would have gotten married and had children, and you took all that because you're so desperate to have their love. You're the one who provided the alcohol the night of his birthday, you got him drunk and acted wasted yourself to make him feel sorry for you and then you continued to lure him in until you got what you wanted. You made Hunter cheat on her! If you wanted sex that much you could have used one of those hookup sites or a gay bar. You ruined our family; Hunter wasn't bisexual until you came around. You raped him and forced him to be that way with you, and now you refuse to let him go so you can have your fantasies. It makes me sick that people like you exist. It's wrong, all of you are wrong and need to be removed. My poor Hunter is probably forced do to so much against his will so that you can use him as a-a cum dumpster. You hurt him; you brainwashed him into thinking he likes it, that you love him. Making him like you, getting him confused about his feelings when he assumed you were straight and waited for the moment to rape my baby boy. I hate you! You claim to be his best friend, but you took him away from his home and the people who love him. You condemned my son to Hell with your...unnatural desires. I hate you! I hate you! All of you people who want to be with the same sex deserve to be cast out on your own island to do those things. You better break up with Hunter and tell him to go home or else this will not be the last time you hear from me. Do you hear me?! You let my baby go, you have two days, or I'll call back until he's home!"**_

Eye widened, and audible gasps were heard after the voicemail played, everyone was able to hear Viola and how awful of a message she left for Treyden. "Viola. How could you? When was this?!" Sal demanded.

"This, Dad? That message was left today on Treyden's cell at lunch hour when I was stuck in Ughurst. Treyden was so upset he left work early, and I didn't know until I got to his house when Theo and Andrew said they didn't have any idea where he was. I refuse to talk to and see her, so she goes after Trey? Not happening and it stops now. I got the report I made from when you disowned, struck, and kicked me out six weeks ago," Hunter stated while pulling out a folder from his uniform. "I called officers to meet me here and arrest you," Hunter advised.

"Now," Hunter began again after a moment of silence while everyone settled with the news of Viola harassing and threatening Treyden about Hunter's sexuality choice. "As it stands you're looking at charges of hate crimes, harassment, gay bashing, domestic violence and abuse. Believe me; I got all the evidence I need plus screenshots of the text messages and e-mails you've sent him. I got copies of everything, including that voicemail. I can have these two military policemen escort you to the car and put you in holding until a court hearing starts," he paused. "Or I can put this away with Harry, and you don't get convicted of the things I mentioned before. It depends if you're going to stop being a petty bitch. So what will it be?" he hissed.

Viola lowered her head in defeat with closed eyes. "I'll stop. I'm sorry, I just...wanted my son back and was willing to do anything to take back the thing I said and did to you, Hunter. But I can see how far you'll go to have your way, so I'll stop,"

"You can never take back what you did and said. You can't undo what you said to me or that you hit me for being who I am. How far I'll go to have what I want? Do you think I wanted it to come to this? Me having you arrested to make you stop? What joy do I get out of this? That I watch, my mother get hauled off in cuffs that I ordered for her to be in because she couldn't just stop and accept that her son is bisexual and happy being so?" Hunter mocked.

"No," Viola shook her head.

"Then why did it have to come to this, Mom? It could have stopped the day I left this house, but you kept pushing, and now I've decided to stop taking it and pushing back. I know you don't want to accept this about me but for the record; I've been bisexual since I was thirteen, Mom. Some...kid cornered me in the bathroom and school and kissed me, and I liked it. Yes, I was confused about why, so I talked to Dad and figured out I'm not straight. It took some time to accept, get used to but I became comfortable with such. After I got with Audrey, I never worried about being bi because no one seemed interested so I let it be, but it doesn't change that part of me,"

"I just wanted you to forgive me and come home. I'm sorry for everything," Viola sobbed lightly.

"How do you expect me to forgive you when you keep hurting and pissing me off? It takes a lot of courage to stand in a room full of people and tell them you're not straight. Okay? But I did it because I was trying not to keep secrets from my family and friends. I've stayed this far away from you for this long because I'm _TRYING_ to forgive you knowing you flip out quickly and say things you don't mean even when you say you mean them. But then you do stuff like this; harassing the hell out of my boyfriend to leave me, so I'll come back?" Hunter hypothesized.

"Wait, you two are dating now?" Eddie blinked in surprise with a few others.

"Yes, Treyden and Hunter have been dating for a month. Now hush," Andrew rolled his eyes.

"It won't make me come back; it's going to make me dislike you more. I hate the things you say and do because you hurt the people I care about and me. You even get mad because I go to Dad about things, like the bisexual revealing a few weeks ago and it does hurt that you get so worked up. It was hard to come out to everyone, especially you because I know you don't approve but I still did it; I wanted to be honest about things and hoped that even with your animosity on the matter, you would overlook it because you wanted me to be happy. That should...always outweigh anything else, is the happiness of your children," Hunter argued calmly.

"I know that you hate I go to Dad about everything, but is that an excuse for you to act out this way, so immaturely? I go to Dad because he understands and listens to me. Why did I go to Dad about joining the Army? Because he knew how bad I wanted to do it and you would never have listened to reason. You admitted that so don't try to deny such. Why did I only want to talk to Dad when RJ died? Because Dad knows what it's like to lose a friend in your arms on the battlefield. Why did I tell Dad about the bisexual thing? Because I know you don't like it and would never approve. I go to Dad because he doesn't judge or shoot me down immediately, he understands and helps if he can. You don't do that for me, and I think that's what hurts the most about knowing you're my mom; that I can't go to you because you won't listen and understand. Back on topic here," Hunter continued.

"You gave me and Caitlyn life from a love you and Dad have. Two people in love, right?" Hunter went on as Viola gave the nod to confirm his question. "Then what's wrong with me loving another male? There's...no difference between a homosexual relationship and a heterosexual one. It's two people who care deeply for one another. Yeah, I see your stance about not having a family but even that's wrong to assume. There's adoption, the chance to take in a child that was given up and doesn't have a home. Or there's surrogacy too. It doesn't have to be blood to be family. I've been in the military for three years, and I consider everyone on Plasma Fire to be brothers and sisters to me. A family is made up of the ones you would do anything for and they'd do the same for you. That is family, Mom, the people who are there for you always," Hunter described.

"I know you don't think it's right for two people of the same gender to have romantic feelings for one another. Alright? I've never judged you for disliking it, everyone is entitled to their opinion about different things. The point is, I don't give you shit for hating it, so don't give me crap for embracing and being a part of it. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or even do a complete one-eighty and suddenly support the LGBT community. You can hate it all you want, I won't take that right from you or tell you how to live your life, but don't do it me or anyone else. That's all I want from you. I'm not asking for your support or blessing on any of my choices but I will ask you don't take my right to make them and live my life the way I want to. I only ask for the same respect I give you. Can you do that?" Hunter hoped questioningly.

"I can and will, Hunter. I promise," Viola regretfully apologized to him.

Hunter exhaled softly as he looked to his officers, then his mother again. "Release her," Hunter ordered as the officer with the name tag; _Roth_ moved behind and unlocked the handcuffs. Viola brought her hands around and rubbed her wrists before looking up at Hunter who still had a cold, angry look on his face. "Consider this your final warning to back off. I only filled out this report at the request of my worried and concerned commanding officer thinking I might be upset enough to use self-harm or suicide to escape the pain I felt being betrayed by you again. I had no intention of filing it formally with the authorities until you pulled this stupid shit and hurt Treyden with your childish assumptions which I denied and told you the truth about a few times now. However, you are my mother and I will always love you. Therefore, I'm letting it this go once,"

A sigh of relief was heard from a few who thought Hunter would have his mother locked up. "BUT," Hunter continued with a glare as Viola held her breath, "If you hurt Trey, me, or anyone else I care about...If this ever happens again, mother, I'll have you arrested, on trial, found guilty, sentenced, and in prison all within twenty-four hours of filing this. I would not attempt to test or challenge my ability and authority to make that happen. Do we understand one another?" Hunter dared.

"Perfectly. I'm...so sorry, Hunter. Can...we start over? Wi-Will you give me another chance?" Viola pleaded.

"I'm still pretty steamed about earlier. You show me you can do what I asked and then we'll revisit the idea of forgiveness and chances. I still don't want you contacting my boyfriend and I so I'm still having a temporary restraining order issued. If I want you to know something, you'll get it from Caitlyn or Dad. Officers Roth and Grayson, you may both return to the Berkton base and go home for the evening," Hunter informed as the two officers saluted him and Hunter returned it then they exited the backyard.

"Sorry I interrupted the party," Hunter looked to Caitlyn and his friends, minus Eddie and Drew while Hunter crouched in front of Trey with a soft smile. "See? I told you that all you have to do is let me know when something is wrong and I'll do anything to fix it and make you feel better. Ready to go?" he offered his hand.

"I know. But she's your mom and I didn't...want to be the cause of a problem between you two," Trey admitted putting his hand in Hunter's, then getting pulled to his feet while Hunter linked his fingers to Treyden's.

"Trey, you've known me for three years, babe. You know my mother and I will always have some kind of problem but as long as she's not hurting my family or the man I love then I don't sweat the small shit," Hunter told him then leaned in and kissed him lightly, Treyden kissed him right back before separating and Trey blushed a little. "Come on, let's get back to your house because I have plans made for us,"

"Y-You do?" Treyden inquired.

"Of course. Do you not remember what tonight is?" Hunter asked and Trey shook his head. "One month that we've been together as a couple and I intend to enjoy the evening with you the way we discussed if things went well for a month if you're up for it?" Hunter reminded as Trey's blush grew redder and he nodded to his boyfriend. "Then, let's get to your place and start...celebrating," he invited.

"No arguments here," Treyden replied as Hunter began leading him to the gate.

"See ya around," Hunter waved while going out of sight.

"I don't know what was being hinted at and I'm not sure I want to know," Drew stated.

"Hunter and Treyden haven't had sex so they could settle in the relationship first. If things went well after a month, they were going to have sex again. Hunter's making him dinner, setting up a movie, and intends to make love to Trey this evening," Theo chuckled. "Have a good rest of the night," he added while leaving with Andrew. It was a weird, angering, and fearful day seeing everything they learned and witnessed over the last half hour but one thing was for sure; Viola had been warned. In truth, all of them had. If anyone hurt Hunter or Trey especially, Hunter would do anything to fix the problem by removing it completely.


	43. Another To Fight

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Another To Fight

~Hunter's POV~

" _ **Attention soldiers of the Plasma Fire Company, these are your pilots speaking. At this time we ask that you hold your bags and position yourselves upright in your seats. We are preparing our descent into Washir, Afghanistan's Camp Ormr and commence Black Out,"**_ came a voice through the speakers positioned around the aircraft that Plasma Fire was currently aboard while we made our way into the Washir District of Helmand, Afghanistan. The flight from Archi Island to Kandahar Airbase was seven hours and fifty minutes, not including any layovers. Once we landed there, we caught a smaller plane to take us into the Helmand Province of Afghanistan where Washir District is located. If it's not obvious already, Plasma Fire Company has been deployed for a second tour of duty which will last twelve months. We're stationing at a support base; Camp Ormr. This was home to the Defender Brigade.

The announcement came in October 2019, at least we were given more than a month to prepare to leave this time. The problem was that Afghanistan was rumored to be worse than Iraq, which brought on a lot of stress for the veteran soldiers who already served a tour and nervousness for the newbie recruits who just joined us in May of last year and had yet to see the battlefield. Treyden and I were still dating, happy as ever too. Officially, we've been together for seven months, eight on the 17th of January which was in eleven days. I glanced over and saw Treyden asleep on my shoulder; I kissed his forehead as he began to stir and awaken slowly.

"Hey, gotta sit up. Going into Black Out for landing in Washir, baby," I informed him lovingly. Treyden sat up and cracked his neck and gave a yawn with a stretch and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"How long?" Treyden inquired tiredly. At least he could sleep on the plane; I couldn't for the life of me.

"Probably ten-fifteen minutes, then another ten to deboard and high balling another fifteen to twenty to get to our Battalion location," I shrugged unsurely, Harry hadn't mentioned anything yet, but that's how it went in Iraq so I was assuming it would be the same.

"Did you get any sleep?" I heard Andrew question, and I shook my head to him. "That sucks man; you gotta be exhausted. We've been up since 4 am, boarded from Archi at 7, the flights plus time change has us at...what?"

"It will be close to 11:00 pm when we actually get to the barracks," I rolled his eyes.

"How in the name of Thor do you do that in your head so easily!?" Amber muttered in surprise.

"Addition?" Hunter shrugged. "Left Archi at 0700. We flew for three hours and fifteen minutes to the first layover. That set us at 10:15 am. The layover was an hour. 11:15pm. Left there and continued flying another two hours and fifteen minutes. Time became 12:30 pm. An additional three-hour delay gets us to 3:30 pm, then another 2 hour and twenty minutes put us at 5:50 pm. Reached Kandahar Airbase after a seven-hour and fifty-minute flight total then flew this last forty-five minutes into Washir, so that makes the time; 6:35," I explained.

"Then where the hell did you get 11:00 from?" Asher arched a brow.

"Time change. Afghanistan is three and a half hours ahead of Archi Island. 6:35 plus 3:30 is 10:05 pm in Afghan time. Factor in the landing and deboarding it will be about 10:30 pm. Then the ride to the Battalion will be elevenish at the latest," I mentioned with his eyes closed. "Now will you be quiet? I always get a headache on landing," I mumbled. All I could do was think back to when this started in October when it got announced that the second tour was upon us.

 **/Flashback/**

 _~Normal POV~_

 _It was October 18th, 2019. Hunter and Treyden just celebrated their five month anniversary of being a couple on the 17th, and the two were happier and stronger ever since the day Hunter almost had his mother arrested for her constant harassment of Treyden. It was something Hunter discovered on the drive into Berkton after telling Trey never to be afraid to tell him when something is wrong, even if it involved his family or friends. Trey revealed that he also got text messages and e-mail on the same day saying the same things with much more derogatory names and hateful words. Hunter had Treyden screenshot everything with the time and dates, then sent them to Harry to print out. Also, Hunter had Trey send the voicemail to be copied onto a tape. All of which items were secured in the report Hunter made after being kicked out and disowned._

 _Granted, these actions were not committed to Hunter, but they affected him since he was with Treyden. That's what Harry said anyway; even if Viola hadn't said those things to Hunter, she said them to someone he cares about and losing Trey because of Viola would hurt Hunter a lot. Hunter didn't care about the extra stuff, but he loved knowing that his mother going after Trey was enough to add to the report of crimes against Hunter himself. When the report had the additions, it was faxed over to the Berkton station and picked up by the two officers who initially arrested Viola while Hunter and Treyden sat in the truck. Theo and Andrew came as well for support and to sit with Trey while Hunter scolded his mother as calmly as possible._

 _It seemed that it paid off because from mid-June to October now, Viola had not dared to set Hunter off again in fear of being sent to prison. Hunter didn't lift the temp restraining order until September and warned his mother not to make him regret doing it. Viola spoke to Hunter, but only when Salvatore or Caitlyn did so, she didn't seem to have the heart to contact him alone. However, Hunter made his efforts to come to the house again and even letting his family over for dinner at Treyden's a few times but no one else. Another event in June had been the graduation of Hunter's little sister, friends, and former bullies from High School. It was a sight to see, and Hunter had never been prouder of Caitlyn graduating at seventeen years old, two years ahead of what she was supposed to._

 _Tonight was a group dinner with friends and family at the Haddock household, Hunter agreed to come with Trey, but honestly, he was exhausted, so Trey was driving in his car to the house for the gathering. "You sure you're up for this tonight, Hunt? It's been a long week for you with the hours," Treyden asked softly as Hunter was falling asleep in the front seat. It wasn't a lie. Hunter had been up and out of Trey's house by 4 am as always, but he wasn't getting back until almost 8:20 pm. Tonight he was out at 6 pm, but that hardly made a difference given he was in at 11 pm after already working until 5 pm that day and had to go back._

" _I'm okay. We'll stay for a little bit then...get back. Harry told me to be in at 3 am tomorrow," Hunter yawned as Trey pulled into the driveway and parked the car, then turned it off as Hunter sat up and rubbed his eyes before both of them exited the vehicle and reached the front door while Hunter knocked._

" _I think you need to talk to Andersen about these hours, Hunter. I'm worried about you, it's been going on since Wednesday of last week, and you barely get time to rest," Treyden sighed with concern for his boyfriend just as the door opened and Caitlyn smiled broadly at the two._

" _Hi, big brother. Hey, Treyden. Come on in; you're just in time for dinner. Daddy made lasagna and meatballs," Caitlyn chirped excitedly, it was one of her favorite meals. Trey and Hunter walked in to see everyone. Shocking that Drew and Eddie weren't there for once. Everyone else was though, might not be such a bad night after all._

" _There you two are. We were starting to think you'd miss supper," Viola greeted as she hugged Hunter and Treyden. Hunter gave the woman points for trying, but there was still some...negative feelings towards her for the past. Hunter and Trey wouldn't knock the attempts at being civil though._

" _Sorry about that, you didn't have to wait for us," Hunter replied._

" _Nonsense, son. You're part of the family; we can wait a few extra minutes for you to arrive. Now come right in and sit down with us," Salvatore chortled. "Would either of you like a beer?" he offered next as Hunter and Treyden were getting to the table to take their seats._

" _No, thank you, Mr. Haddock. Water will do tonight," Treyden responded with a smile. Salvatore got two water bottles and passed them down to the boys. After that, dinner proceeded as it always did. Going around the table, asking how everyone's day went and ate peacefully. For Hunter though, he was thoroughly beat and wanted to sleep before 2 am when he'd get up shower, then leave for 2:30 to get to work for 3 am. When supper ended, Caitlyn helped Viola clean up while everyone else moved to the living room to relax a bit. The time was already 7:30, Hunter had work in six and a half hours or at least had to be up to get ready and leave on time._

" _How have things been at work for you two?" Renee inquired motioning to Treyden and Hunter who were coming in from the kitchen last and taking a seat on the couch next to one another. Once Hunter was down he closed his eyes while trying to relax._

" _You don't quite look yourself tonight dear," Mikayla mentioned while looking softly to Hunter. "Are you feeling alright?"_

" _I have to agree with Mikayla here. You look as though you haven't slept in days," Gregory added in._

" _He has, just not a lot. Work has been nuts, for him at least," Treyden sighed._

" _What do you mean?" Audrey inquired curiously now._

" _Last Wednesday, Harry called at 3 in the morning and told Hunter to come in for 3:30. Hunter didn't get home until 7 pm. Since then, he's been working between twelve and sixteen hour days. Like tonight, he was working since 11 pm last night, and that was after being out at 5 pm earlier that evening and starting at 4 am," Treyden explained._

" _All that working isn't good for you. I know you're used to twelve, but sixteen for two weeks?" Salvatore made notion, "It's too much, you have to tell Harry to give you a couple of days," However, Hunter never answered. Looking at him, they all saw he was reclining on the couch with his eyes closed still and head tilted off to the side; clearly asleep._

" _My point. He's exhausted. Hunter was falling asleep on the fifteen-minute ride over here, and Harry wants him in at 3 am tomorrow morning," Treyden sat back so Hunter could sleep on his shoulder and be comfortable._

" _Why such harsh hours?" Viola inquired gently._

" _No idea. Theo's, Andrew's, and even mine have stayed between nine and eleven hour days, but Hunter's have been all over the place. I'm not even sure what he's doing. It's been a lot of running around to other bases to drop off or pick things up and take them somewhere else. He also mentioned a lot of inventory and organizing which means heavy lifting," Trey replied to her._

" _Well, let's let Hunter sleep a bit. He honestly doesn't look well, Treyden," Heather pointed out. Caitlyn reached a hand over to her brother's forehead and touched it lightly._

" _Heather's right, he's warm, and the heat isn't on that high in here. Plus I noticed he didn't eat a lot either. I think he's getting sick because his body doesn't have time to recover from all the work or if you two are...having your fun," Caitlyn hinted._

" _Nope. Hunter and I haven't done anything in two weeks. Last time was the morning he got called in at 3 am by Andersen. Since then, Hunter's just been too tired, and I can't say I blame him," Trey admitted. It wasn't good if Hunter was getting sick. Treyden was going to talk to Harry in the morning when he clocked in, this had to stop, and Hunter needed his rest for a few days._

 _Another half hour passed of light conversation when a ringing and buzzing brought everyone to be quiet. Before anyone could chest to see if it was one of their phones ringing, Hunter pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed answer while putting it to his ear while sitting up to rub his eyes a little. "Lieutenant Haddock here," he greeted slowly. Nothing was heard, but Hunter's eyes went from tired, to irritated at first. "Harry, you are literally killing me with these hours. What is so important that I have to come ba-" Hunter stopped as he'd been cut off, then his eyes showing attentiveness to what Harry was explaining._

" _He can't be serious. Hunter, say no. You're too tired to keep working," Treyden protested quickly. Hunter shook his head to him then pulled the phone away and put it on speaker._

" _I'm sorry about all the hours, Hunter. It's been in preparation for a mobilization alert. The company leaders got a warning alert last month and just found out which group it's for," Harry stated._

" _And you didn't say anything right away? Who is deploying and taking all that stuff I've been busting my ass to inventory, organize and move for two weeks?" Hunter asked._

" _We are, Haddock," Harry sighed as the room seemed to freeze. "I didn't know who the alert was for, just that it would be happening. I was preparing to leave Draco myself when I got the call from HQ. Plasma Fire is deploying. I don't know where we're going yet. HQ told me they'd let me find out when I had my platoon leaders here. I called Holgerson, Grove, and Rodriguez already, they are on the way. I know I'm asking a lot, but please, I need ya for two hours at most," he insisted._

 _Hunter used his fingers to massage the spot between his eyes and above his nose while sighing. "God...damn it, Andersen. You fucking owe me or someone at HQ does. I'm in Berkton right now; you're gonna have to give me at least an hour to get back to Bashwick to change and get my truck, then another twenty minutes to get to For Draco," Hunter stated._

" _I promise as soon as we figure out all the details, I'll give you a week off to recover. I'll see you soon, Lieutenant," Harry sighed out in relief that Hunter agreed to go._

" _That you will," Hunter closed his eyes and hung up before getting to his feet slowly._

" _I'm going with you, Hunter. I'll stand outside the room or whatever but you're in no condition to drive by yourself," Treyden stood next to him._

" _That's...fine, babe. Sorry we can't stay longer, and yes, I'll keep you updated as I find out more," Hunter told the others as Treyden started to lead Hunter out of the house slowly because it looked like he was about to puke. Once in the car, Trey opened the windows a bit to give Hunter some air then he faced the worried friends and family of Hunter._

" _Take care of him," Salvatore mouthed. Treyden gave an affirmative nod before putting the vehicle in reverse after starting it up, then backing out and heading to his house._

 _(A Few Days later)_

 _Back in Berkton, Hunter had the information his family wanted; the deployment location and departure date. Of course, Hunter was sick from all the sleep deprivation and barely eating because to was genuinely too tired to. However, as Harry promised him, Hunter was given two weeks off to settle with the deployment news and have some time to recuperate before returning for more tour prep. Trey was worried Hunter would be doing all those hours again, but Harry adjusted it so that Hunter was working no more twelve hour days with two days off for the time being. The time now was 4:30 pm since Hunter got done at 2:30 after being in at 2:30 am. Tomorrow he'd get a day off, thank the Gods for such._

 _Everyone was over including Gregory, Eddie, Drew, Shawn, and Mikayla too. Viola got off work early to be home for the announcement. Hunter and Treyden just arrived, and now it was time to tell them what they would surely flip out, and Hunter didn't blame them one bit._

" _Alright, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. Most of you, except you two," Hunter motioned to Drew and Eddie. "were here last Friday when the deployment alert got specified for Plasma Fire Company. After a few days of meetings and conference calls, all the details are finalized. So I'm gonna ask you hold your flipping out when you inevitably do, until the end. Kay?" he finished._

" _We can handle it, son. Just please don't leave anything out that you're...allowed to tell us," Salvatore asked._

" _Will do. The deployment will be to Afghanistan for one year," Hunter paused as they gasped. "I said to wait until I was done," he reminded as they stayed quiet and nodded for him to continue. "We're going to be in the Helmand Province, right next to Kandahar Airbase which is what we'll be flying into and then catching a smaller aircraft to Helmand and the base we're stationing at which is Camp Ormr in Washir District. Plasma Fire is departing from Archi Island Airport at 7 am. We've got two layovers; one for an hour and another for an unnecessary three,"_

" _The total flight time is seven hours and fifty minutes from Archi to Kandahar; then we have a forty-five-minute flight to Washir where Camp Ormr is set up. If nothing sets us back, we should be landing around 10:30, and settled into barracks between 11 and 11:30 pm. We were asked to make sure you're aware that Afghanistan is three hours and thirty minutes ahead of Archi Island time, bear that in mind for the sake of quick phone calls and what not," Treyden joined in so Hunter could take a breath._

" _Also, we cannot give you the address of the base. You have to send letters or packages to Fort Draco, and they will forward them to us from there. It's a security thing. We all have a secondary address, and it's Fort Draco. When you put the name in, you have to use our rank in front of the name. So for me, it'd be; First Lieutenant Hunter Haddock. Fort Draco Military Base: 617th Street. Archi Island City, 06391-5824. I'll write that down too. As for internet and reception matters, I'm told it will be better than Iraq but still iffy," Hunter continued._

" _And...when do you leave?" Audrey questioned._

" _Couple months. Monday, January 6th, 2020. We have to be at the airport for 4 am so that means up at 3 am to get ready and reach Archi Airport," Hunter stated._

" _So all the preparation with your long hours has been for this deployment then? I hope they gave you some time as Andersen promised he would so you're not working yourself to the bone," Viola mentioned._

" _Harry gave me two weeks," Hunter nodded to her hopeful statement._

" _And you're supposed to be resting, baby. You're sick, and the on base medic confirmed that when you nearly passed out in the meeting two days ago. You told everyone what was going on; now it's time to go back to my house so you can sleep. Please? I don't want to see anything happen to you?" Treyden pleaded softly._

" _Alright, fine. You win, and we'll leave. Sorry, everyone, he is right though. I've been sick for a few days, but I wanted to make sure you got the information about the tour. See you when I'm feeling better," Hunter told them as he gave a wave and started leaving with Treyden._

" _Don't worry about it, big brother. Hope you feel better soon!" Caitlyn smiled softly. Hunter nodded with a return smile and left with Treyden._

 _(A Month Passes)_

 _It only took Hunter two days to feel like himself again but enjoyed the two weeks off. As Harry promised, Hunter didn't work more than twelve hours a day and got two days off per week; Wednesday and Sunday. Everything was the same as the first deployment with physicals, evaluations, training, etc. The only other big thing was between Treyden and Hunter to discuss how their relationship would be for the tour. No intimacy was a given rule, but they didn't know how far the limits went to what they could and could not do. So, one day after work, they talked to Harry._

 _The information was supplied as Hunter and Treyden could hug, hold hands, and share a quick peck on the lips within barrack walls. Anything outside of that was hugs and a kiss on the cheek. Also, there was nothing to be shown while on missions, patrol, or guard. Understanding the rules, they agreed. The next year was going to suck for them, hopefully though, they'd get their leave time together and could do what they wanted then._

 _(January 6th, 2020; 7 am)_

 _Unlike last time because of how crazy it was, no one could come to say goodbye except immediate family. So, Mom, Dad, siblings. Hunter had said goodbye to the others the night before, and all wished him a safe flight and to kick ass in Afghanistan. When the clock struck 7 am, the soldiers boarded and were in the air within ten minutes heading for their location._

 **/End Flashback/**

~Normal POV~

The jolt of the plane hitting the ground as it landed on the Camp Ormr airstrip brought Hunter from his memories about where all this started. Rubbing his eyes a little, the aircraft stopped, and the soldiers stood up and began to deboard, then move to the vehicles provided that would take them to their battalion location.

"Alright soldiers. We are one of six companies making up the A Stryke Battalion in section three of Camp Ormr. This is only a support base, and we're in a heavier spot of the fighting. There are planes and vehicles always on the move in this base, so you get used to the noise from that. Camp Ormr is under the command of Colonel Ross Pearson, and our battalion is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Henderson. The other companies around us are Wingblast, Lavarock, Exploder, Whipslash, and Spineflare. Got that all?" Harry asked.

"Harry, for the love of God. Skip the intro because you know we're gonna hear it tomorrow from the battalion leader when we inevitably get pulled in for greetings and information. We're exhausted," Brady stated. Harry couldn't argue, so the soldiers loaded up and were taken to their spot. Once there, the platoons split off to their six barracks marked twelve to eighteen. In truth, none of them unpacked upon arriving. The group of twenty-eight grabbed a cot, shoved their bags underneath, and went right to sleep. This was the start of another war they had to fight in.


	44. Our Temporary Home

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Our Temporary Home

Hunter was glad he was able to sleep with all the noise of vehicles moving and planes either taking off or landing, but Hunter also guessed that when you were tired enough, you could sleep through anything. Now it was the next morning, the official start of their tour and ten days until Hunter and Treyden marked their eight months of being a couple. It sucked that they wouldn't get to celebrate the way they had been since the first month by enjoying a quiet dinner, movie, and making love. The two didn't always have intercourse, though, sometimes it was just them getting one another off. Either way, it couldn't happen while deployed. Harry was very adamant on what they were allowed to do. Trey and Hunter would make do with they could as they always did.

"Good morning," Hunter heard Treyden's voice, he glanced over from his lying position on the cot to see Treyden sitting up on his bed. Hunter smiled and sat up, then looked around to see everyone else awake and up. Was he the last one to awaken? Maybe he was more tired than he thought.

"Morning. What time is it?" Hunter asked.

"8:30 am, man. The rest of us were up at 6:15," Andrew chuckled.

"Ugh, gimme a break. You know the time change fucks with me," Hunter rolled his eyes as he threw his legs over the cot then stood and gave Treyden a light kiss before stretching his arms.

"It's okay, babe. Breakfast in the chow hall starts now, so we have time for you to get a shower and dressed," Treyden informed. Hunter smiled some.

"You don't have to wait for me. Go on and eat, I'll meet you there," Hunter told them. "And I will make that an order if I have to," he added as the others quickly got ready and filed out. Hunter shook his head with a chuckle before grabbing a towel and his shower items. Things in Afghanistan were a lot more modernized, thank the Gods for that. The barracks were set up like cabins for the platoons of a company. Alpha Hooligan has a residence in Barrack 16. However, it wasn't like in Iraq where everyone slept four to a room. No. In these barracks, it was one building that held up to thirty, and the only walls were the mains. Within the cabin-like structure were rows of cots for the soldiers to sleep on.

The cots sat a few feet away from one another with a metal cabinet converted into a double closet between the beds. How it was set up was that there were four rows of seven cots each. Two sets of seven were against the outer walls, and another two sets were across from those leaving only small walking aisles between the rows. The metal closets were sturdy, used for storing gear, personal items, clothes, etc. In the back of the cabin barrack were the bathrooms and showers; eight shower stalls three urinals, six sinks and toilet stalls. Seemed awkward but not so much because they would make it work, just like in Iraq. It wasn't amazing due to lack of privacy, but Hunter would figure something out, so they weren't all in view of one another.

The Hooligan Platoon now had an even number of males and females, so Hunter considered just splitting the barrack right down the middle and using something to separate the two sides, like a blanket or short wall. Hunter would speak to Harry about it later on while thinking of how to share the restroom and shower facilities. Hunter got his shower in, shaved, got his stuff on and made it to the chow hall located in section three of the camp. That's how it was apparently; there was a chow hall built to hold about three hundred in every part of the base, so that meant one in every battalion. The Hall also doubled as the entertainment spot with a small stage.

Just like in Iraq, there was a central operations building where the base commander resided with his team of people to make things run smoothly. The company leaders took residence in their battalion office. Platoon leaders stayed in the barracks with their platoons. The EAH was a different setup, however, if a Code Black needed to be sounded then the group patrolling had to let their battalion leader know by use of a single set of walkie talkies. It was better than in Iraq, no waiting to find out which post set it off, then locate the group who needed help. No, in this grand design; the leader of the patrol would have to walkie their battalion commander who would already be aware of which platoon was out on baseline for that shift. The difference would be that the horn would be set off from the office directly, then a light would flash from the roof of the building.

That signal would go to the operations center, and a plan would be discussed between brigade, the battalion leader, and the company heads of that force in trouble. The process took all ten minutes to happen, planning maybe about ten but help would get sent to the platoon in trouble right away. Hunter's first impression of Camp Ormr thus far wasn't bad; everything was set up a particular way to make something else easier. Perhaps this wouldn't be a bad year after all. Hunter reached the chow hall, grabbed his food, and sat down next to Trey after kissing his cheek then starting to eat while talking to the others.

"Hunter, there you are!" Asher laughed patting Hunter's back once or twice. Hunter turned to see Asher, Brady, and Caleb standing there.

"Sorry, overslept. What's up?" Hunter asked.

"Andersen wanted us to make sure you remembered about the meeting in central ops at 1300 hours to meet Pearson and Henderson," Brady stated.

"I haven't forgotten," Hunter nodded to them.

"Great then. Oh, also, Harry wants everyone unpacked with a tidy barrack before lunch," Caleb added quickly before he forgot.

"Will do," Hunter replied firmly as the three walked off again and Hunter grumbled something about that order being obvious as shit. "So, anyone had luck with wifi or reception?" he inquired next.

"It's not horrible in the main building, but out by the barracks, it's a little harsh. We can use it, but it's slow to load, and I'm sure if using Skype, it will lag. Reception wise, Andrew got through to his dad for about seven minutes this morning. Harry mentioned when we came in that it would be spotty throughout the day; as in good first thing in the morning and started around 9:30 pm at night and beyond that," Amber informed.

"Well, better than Iraq I suppose," Treyden said. "But Harry also stated that this was a heavier zone for fighting too so even if we have service and the internet, we won't have a lot of time,"

"He's got a decent point. And to think this is just a support base, I think the main one is in the province's capital, Lashkargah or something like that," Conner mentioned.

"It's forty-six miles away from where we are right now," Theo added in to state the fact. "I did a little research before coming here. We're bordering Farah Province and eighty kilometers or the forty-six miles Northwest from the Lashkargah Province, Washir is one of the farther districts out in the middle of nowhere,"

"Perfect, small base with just under four thousand soldiers in the midst of the desert. I don't possibly see how that can't go wrong," Nikolas rolled his eyes.

"At least it ain't balls to the floor hot like in Iraq. The highest temperature we hit in January through March is seventy-five. 'Bout eighty-five in April then continues to climb until November when it goes back to sixty-eight," Andrew mentioned.

"True. The coldest in January is like thirty-two," Hunter pointed out. "Everything will be okay guys and girls; it's just another war to fight. We survived Iraq for a year and a half; we can do Afghanistan for twelve months," he smiled.

"Always so positive," Trey purred leaning his head on Hunter's shoulder.

"Someone has to be," Hunter proclaimed gently with a smile, then kissed Treyden's forehead. The remainder of breakfast was spent talking casually; then they moved back to their barrack to start unpacking their belongings and cleaning up the barrack. Hunter continued to ponder on his idea of how to make the space they were living in a little separated. Hunter and Treyden took two beds that were by the main door that leads outside. Theo and Andrew were across from them near a support post. Hunter packed smart with easy set up folding tables to put belonging on. There were four in total that he managed to bring between himself and Treyden. So now, the four Alpha Dragons unit members had a small wooden table to put their phones, laptops, or tablets on.

There were small milk crates for other storage under that; the containers were lined with cardboard to keep out bugs. For electricity, there were three sets of four outlet boxes on each wall, and there was a two plug outlet just behind the metal closets. It was a pretty nice setup, and there was one air conditioner/heater unit to maintain the temperature of the room. The cots were metal framed and used a gray piece in which they slept on. It was not the most comfortable but bearable. Also, they used one pillow, a clipped on sheet, one light blanket, and also a heavy one that could be switched out. If you were using one, the other went into the metal closet.

The cabinets were placed between every two beds except for the seventh bed in each row; those closets were placed against the wall where the bathroom was so the two people at the end of two rows used that one, there were only two after all. There were a few shelves, a hanging poll, and four drawers in each double closet. Everything else was to be stored however the soldiers wanted as long as it stayed neat.

"It's gonna suck not sharing a bed with you," Treyden complained lightly with a pout.

"Who says we can't?" Hunter chuckled as Treyden blinked.

"Because we're on cots and everything is pretty much set where it is," Treyden reminded. Hunter shook his head and had Trey move towards Theo and Andrew while he started rearranging a few things with little to no mess for clean up. First, Hunter took the blankets off the beds and moved them out of the way. Second, he moved the metal closet against the wall where the door to exit or enter the barrack was but still left plenty of room so the door and cabinet would interfere with one another. Next, Hunter moved the two folding tables and plastic crates onto the cots which he put together side by side with a blanket between them so the metal frames wouldn't be uncomfortable.

Hunter tied the beds in the position so they would move apart. Hunter then put a black, cloth-like fitted twin size sheet over the two cots making it look like one bed now. He another light blanket to use if it got too hot, then Hunter took the two somewhat heavier blankets that could be tied end to end and tied the blankets together to make a bigger one that draped over the cots perfectly without touching the floor at all. Finally, Hunter took the two folding tables and put one on each side of the joined bed, and then put the crates under the folding tables, so they weren't in the way but still accessible.

"I know it ain't home but it works for now," Hunter said lightly with a smile. Treyden got extremely excited at how Hunter arranged their things to make it look like their rooms at Trey's house, so he hugged his boyfriend tightly.

"It's perfect, babe! I love it. Wait, are we allowed to have them like this?" Trey asked.

"They said arrange our barracks how we wanted to make things easier for us. This works for you and me," Hunter replied as Treyden squeezed Hunter tighter and he returned it. "Anything to see that smile," Hunter leaned down and kissed him lightly but a little passion to it. No one in the platoon minded the relationship, so Hunter felt they could break the rules a _little_ bit while the CO's weren't around and they were in the barrack walls.

"Lieutenant Haddock, how are you going to work the bathroom situation?" asked one of the newer members to Alpha Hooligan.

"And the fact we're coed?" spoke a male. The others began to agree that it was weird to have everyone in one open area.

"Alright, stop griping. You're soldiers, not children who get mad because they gotta share," Hunter groaned as the got quieter. "For the shower and restroom issue; I don't think it should be hard to work that. There are eight shower stalls, and they are big enough that you can shower and get dressed in there so when you shower, get dressed before you get out. There are an even number of girls and boys; I'm sure we can divide up the time fairly,"

"Exactly. Eight stalls, fourteen girls so shower seven at a time. Same for the males. There are three urinals which only the guys will use and then six toilets. I doubt all of us will have to use them at the same time plus there are porta-potties all over camp if it happened to come down to that being the case," Andrew stated.

"The stalls thing for showers and toilets is fine, but the urinals are in the open with no divider. A girl comes out of the bathroom stall, and a guy is over there, no cover. Same for the sinks and mirrors or someone coming out of the shower," a girl mentioned.

"Yeah, that can get awkward. While us males don't give a rats ass if we see one another, I get the girls can get uncomfortable with it. Alright, gimme a minute," Hunter sighed as he moved to the bathroom and glanced at it for perspective issues. Eight shower stalls on the left. Six sinks along the wall where he just entered through the door, six toilet stalls on the right wall then three urinals towards the back wall. All he needed to do was block off the urinals from sight to give it more privacy. But how did he accomplish that? Hunter glanced around again seeing some poles against the supply closet with towels and surely cleaning supplies.

Hunter went over to it and browsed around to see some rope, clips, new curtains for the showers. _'I can make this work,'_ Hunter thought with an inventive gleam in his green eyes. The floors were wooden, sanded down, and coated with something so the wood couldn't absorb water. Hunter grabbed the rope, clips and blue curtains, then a ladder from against the wall. A few others came into the bathroom to see what he was doing; Hunter tied the rope to a hook on the wall then began putting on four of the navy blue shower curtains through the provided holes. Next, he let the rope brought the line around a conveniently placed support pole and tied the other end to a hook he installed himself.

With the rope in place, Hunter pulled the three curtains around along the line and in front of the urinals as coverage. Hunter stepped back after putting away the ladder and took a gander at his temporary work. The curtains weren't see through and not a pain in the ass to gain access too. Hunter clipped the side curtain to the first one and then stepped back a second time. "Nice work, Hunt," Theo congratulated.

"Thanks. See, girls? It's fine now. Everything is separated, and there's no way for anyone to see someone else while they shower or relieve themselves. I don't think I need to do something for the sinks," Hunter informed as the girls smiled and clapped a few times for him.

"You know, we don't need to separate the barrack, it's gonna be hard to run the same concept idea straight through because there is the AC and heat to consider. A barrier in the middle would cut that off for one side," said Amber calmly.

"Nah, I have an idea to fix that," Hunter smiled as he exited the bathroom with two other curtains and the extra rope. Hunter used the far back right side of the room to make a curtain tent. "See, you can just come in here to change. It's big enough for at least four at a time. There are hooks, some chairs too. Will it do?" he asked.

"It's perfect! You're so inventive, Hunter," squealed Amber as she hugged him.

"I consider myself a pretty handy guy, yes," Hunter shrugged as he smiled and moved back to his and Treyden's cot. The time now after all this was 11 am. Hunter laid down and stretched out to relax with his eyes closed, Treyden went and laid next to him, snuggling up into Hunter's left side where he got a kiss on the forehead first, then Hunter lifted Trey's chin and kissed him deeply. "I love you, Trey,"

"I love you too, Hunt. I gotta say this; it sucks to be deployed, but I love our new temporary home the way you set it up. I think we'll be just fine here for a year," Treyden replied. Hunter kissed him again with another smile.

"I couldn't agree more," Hunter said in response as the two continue to lay there and relax.


	45. Up To You

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Up To You

It was extraordinary to believe that the Plasma Fire company had been stationed in Afghanistan for eight months already, the time seemed to fly by. In all these months that had passed; Hunter and Treyden both turned twenty-years-old in February 2020 and hit their one year anniversary of dating on May 17th, 2020. The Hooligan Platoon pulled off something incredibly sneaky too with making it so the boys could be alone that night. Of course, Hunter and Trey didn't do anything sexual, but they got to have a romantic, fake candle lit dinner. Then watch a movie on Hunter's laptop and end up making out for a while and each getting off once while the rest of the company was eating dinner in the chow/entertainment hall to give them some privacy. It was hard to accept that their tour would be over in four months come January 2021.

Currently, the month was September 2020, and things had been more than hectic. Treyden and Hunter both got their leave granted for the same two weeks back in August and spent equal time with both Trey's dad plus the Haddock family and Hunter's friends. It was a good leave, and they got to make love about eight times to make up for being unable to do so while in Afghanistan. Hunter finally gave his mother that starting over chance she'd asked him for the day of the almost arrest. However, Hunter did remind her about the warning from that day too, and she swore on her marriage and life she wouldn't hurt him again. Hunter believed her and since, things have been fine between them.

Caitlyn was now eighteen years old and dating Andrew long distance; he'd asked her in June on her birthday when he was home on leave. It was something Hunter had expected because shockingly, Andrew pulled Hunter aside the night before he left for leave and asked for his blessing to start dating Caitlyn now that she was eighteen. Hunter said he would give his approval as long as Andrew promised not to try and sleep with her until they had been together at least eight months. Andrew gave his word by the Soldier's Honor and thanked Hunter for the opportunity to be with Caitlyn. How could Hunter tell him now? He much preferred Andrew with his little sister instead of Eddie. Plus, Andrew had been considerate enough to wait for Caitlyn to become an adult.

For Army related things; from one hundred and fifty in the start in January 2020, Plasma Fire Company has one hundred and twenty left. Thirty people had died or have been medically discharged due to injuries that disabled them from serving active duty anymore in the last five months alone. Only six from Hooligan were gone; four dead and two unable to serve any longer. Hunter didn't quite remember the others from the remaining five platoons that made up Plasma Fire. However, today marked a significant change because Theo made the seventh person to be killed in action two weeks ago after a hard mission and he gave his life to save the squad; Hunter was not taking it well at all. Andrew, Treyden, and Hunter were taking it awful in fact.

 **/Flashback; Two Week Ago/**

 _A mission built for Striker One, Harry's A-Team. It was a level eight and would be a task for sure. All they had to do was infiltrate an enemy base to gather information for another mission to be planned out later. Thus far, everything was going great. Striker One had slipped in undetected and close to their target spot by listening in to what guard soldiers were saying. When they arrived at the room, a watch formation was put in place for Hunter to get what he was supposed. Twenty minutes into it, they were spotted by enemies, ensuring instantly into a firefight._

 _An hour later, they were trying to get out and return to the base to at least report what they had for information so far. "Hunter, we need to get out of here!" Theo insisted._

" _We need a distraction!" Andrew suggested._

" _We're pinned down and in a confined space. The only way we're getting out of this alive to call for help is if someone steers them in another direction and gives us a chance to escape, and then we all meet outside and fight back without the space limit," Nikolas called to them._

" _I'll go. Throw a flasher and break off. I'll let them chase me, you get out, and I'll meet you there in ten minutes," Theo offered._

" _I don't like this. It's dangerous," Hunter stated quickly._

" _We don't have a choice, Hunt. Someone has to go, or we all die in here. I'll be okay, I promise," Theo informed. He and Hunter connected hands with a firm nod of mutual understanding. Hunter grabbed a flasher grenade, and everyone shielded their eyes and took cover as Hunter threw it and then hid. As the flash faded, Theo grabbed his gun and started firing at enemies while also running and the group of fifteen broke away to chase him._

" _Let's move!" Hunter motioned with his hand as they quickly made their way through the base and outside to where their ride was waiting as Hunter called for it while they were running. Ten minutes passed, and Theo was supposed to be out by now. Hunter was getting worried and about to radio him, but thankfully, Theo was seen sprinting his way out of the base and towards them. "There he-" Hunter paused as he saw and enemy with an RPG launcher. "Theo! Watch out!" Hunter yelled. Theo looked back only a moment, and fear filled his eyes._

" _Take cover!" Andrew yelled. Hunter froze with worry as the RPG launched, Theo ran but tore off his tags and whirled them towards the group as the RPG hit and Theo disappeared in the explosion and all Hunter saw was Theo's fear filled, apologetic eyes._

" _THEO!" Hunter screeched out in fear and shock. Hunter ran forward but the smoke was too much, and Hunter started coughing hard._

" _HUNTER! COME BACK! It's too late to save him!" Treyden called with worry. Hunter turned around to run out when he stepped on something and stopped a minute. Hunter bent over and picked it up to find a cold metal chain with two tags dangling from it that read:_

 _ **VOLLAN, THEODORE  
**_ _ **702/411/3819  
**_ _ **AAF-A  
**_ _ **A POS  
**_ _ **NEOPAGAN**_

 _Hunter grasped them tightly in his hand then ran out of the smoke coughing hard as he stumbled a few times and tripped reaching the squad as Conner and Treyden worked together to get him into the chopper then it took off back to base._

 _(Ormr Base)_

 _Harry was first to rush up when the helicopter landed but noticed all the sad faces. "Mission went had to be aborted?" he asked softly._

" _No, sir. I have what we went to retrieve. No injuries but one KIA," Hunter murmured._

" _Body status and the name of the fallen soldier, Lieutenant Haddock?" Harry questioned sympathetically._

" _No body could be recovered as Sergeant Theodore Vollan was killed in action by an RPG, Major Andersen. I found these on the ground when I tried to run in after him," Hunter explained sadly while holding up the tags and placing them in Harry's hand._

" _I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I know how close your group was to Sergeant Vollan. I'll make the arrangements while you and your team take a little time to mourn the loss of a friend," Harry put a hand on Hunter's shoulder then stepped away as everyone got off the helicopter and returned to the barrack. It was going to be a long process to accept that Theo was no longer with them. A long, hard process to say goodbye to him._

 **/End Flashback/**

It hadn't been easy, and the pain was still there. Hunter hadn't called home in two weeks but knew they were trying to ask if everything was okay but he didn't want to talk to them right now. Trey and Andrew were coping, Hunter was too, but he felt responsible. Hunter said it was a bad idea to split the group up, that it was dangerous but Theo promised it would be okay and Hunter let him go. Hunter was taking it the hardest, Trey tried to do what he could but couldn't stop seeing how afraid and sorry that Theo had looked.

"Hunter? Andersen and the rest of us are starting to worry about how hard Theo's death is hitting you. Harry wants you to talk to someone about it because he feels like you're shutting down," Treyden sat down on their bed and put a hand on Hunter's knee.

"I'm...okay, babe. It hurts, I won't lie about that but even against my warning it was dangerous, Theo chose to break off and give us a chance to escape. His...sacrifice is what saved all of us, and that's hard to wrap your head around that information. It's painful to look at this spot and not see Theo reading one of his books or...using my tablet to contact home since it worked better than his cell. It's hard to no longer see a very good friend every day," Hunter admitted.

"It hurts all of us, Striker One especially. But you know all this sadness isn't going to bring him back. Theo is always with us, in here," Treyden motioned to Hunter's heart with a light touch and smile. "Living on in our hearts just like all the others before him we've lost," he added. Hunter looked over at Treyden as a tear slipped from his eyes, Trey wiped it and kissed Hunter gently and of course, Hunter returned it.

"Thank you, baby. I suppose I needed that reminder. Just takes time to get used to it through," Hunter informed.

"I know. We all feel that way, but you can't shut down on us. We need you, Hunt. Especially me. I love you," Treyden smiled.

"I love you too. Don't worry, I'm not leaving anyone. Especially you," Hunter winked as Trey blushed and they kissed again.

(December 2020)

Three months had passed since Theo's death, everyone still missed him and had their moments of showing that but they were all in a better place from when it happened. There was one month left of the tour and they all couldn't wait to go home and resume normal life. Andrew had told Caitlyn about Theo's passing when she asked him if Hunter was alright since they hadn't heard from him, Salvatore was the one to say back off and give Hunter his space. There was losing a comrade, but there was losing one of your best friends and the pain was worse. Hunter ended up contact them a week after Trey and him talked. Hunter and Trey had also been together a year and seven months, it was hard to believe honestly. Almost a year and a half they'd had been a couple and were still as in love as the day it started.

Things had gotten crazy and Hunter worried if their tour might get extended, Harry mentioned it was a possibility but so far it had not yet been confirmed. Hunter hoped it wasn't the case. Currently, everyone in the chow/entertainment hall was relaxing as it was about 7:30 pm and Hunter was on Skype with his family, friends, and even Dustin was over too so Trey could get a few words in with him too. Tonight also, the Echo Eruptor Platoon was on Stryker Battalion baseline patrol so that's why a lot of them were staying up because there had been high activity in one of the places that got covered in the base.

" _So you'll be home next month right?"_ Caitlyn inquired.

"If all goes well, should be," Treyden replied.

" _What do you mean by that, son?"_ Viola questioned not understanding.

"Typically, if the fighting stays as bad as it has been then we can be held here longer if replacements aren't ready. We're avoiding a problem like from the last tour when Harry was left alone with Delta and not the rest of us and seven people were killed due to being under supplied of soldiers. New rule, the groups stay together until a new company comes in," Hunter explained.

"But right now, we're scheduled to leave during the week of January 11th, 2021," Treyden added in to set some fears at ease.

" _We hear music, you guys partying in the hall again?"_ Heather laughed a little.

"We're always partying if not doing a job. These numbskulls are enjoying the karoke of disney songs and failing," Andrew grinned. "Hunter's the only one who can carry the tune to follow,"

"Zip it, Andrew," Hunter glared.

" _Oh, come on, Hunter. Please?!"_ Renee and Audrey tried together.

"No," Hunter grumbled.

"Don't harrass him," Treyden kissed Hunter's cheek now as the smile returned to Hunter's face.

" _So what's with all the gear, that's not normal for a fun night?"_ Salvatore pondered now.

"We're on call tonight. Echo is out on baseline duty but there's been reports of heavy activity so they want us ready until it's been cleared," Hunter informed.

" _Ah, Echo was one of the new additions, right?"_ Shane wondered curiously.

"You got it, never had a deployment before so we're bei-" Trey started and then the horn sounded as everything fell silent. "Was that ours?" Hunter got up quick and hurried outside as Andrew followed with the laptop. Hunter looked up and saw the beacon flashing red, that meant severe ambush.

"Plasma Fire, suit up and get ready!" Hunter ordered.

"Hey, Andersen gives the orders, Haddock," Brady remarked as Hunter glared.

"Listen asshole. Harry is WITH Echo, he didn't want them going alone. When Andersen isn't around, I do give the orders because he appointed me to do such. In case you have forgotten, you got demoted to Second Lieutenant because you have a problem with authority. I'm one rank above you and two below Harry. That puts ME in charge in his absence. Now do you have a problem following commands when one of our own is out there and needs help?!" Hunter scolded firmly.

"N-No, sir!" Brady replied with a salute.

"Then suit the fuck up and wait for my order," Hunter demanded. Brady did as asked and no sooner than that happened, Lieutenant Colonel Henderson rushed in panting.

"Haddock. The radios are down but we know the soldiers are taking cover from enemy fire. Take Plasma Fire and pull Echo out. Do not engage if you don't have to. It's an extraction, get our soldiers back," Matthew ordered.

"Understood. Transportation ready?" Hunter asked.

"Choppers and jeeps on the pads. Go, quickly!" Matthew insisted. Hunter nodded as he shut the laptop without saying goodbye and hurried his troops to their departure point.

(Ambush Location)

After getting as close as they were able, the platoons split up to offer cover and get to where Echo was pinned down. An hour into this already between the flight and searching but they reached it quickly and took up positions to hold back the enemies while they got Echo out.

"Are we clear to move?!" Harry yelled out.

"Yes, Major!" a few replied back back.

"Good, everyone to the choppers and jeeps! On the double now!" Harry called to the six platoons. Without wasting a moment, they all ran for it and took shots or cover where needed. They were almost to their extraction point, just another few miles to go and everything would be fine. Or so Hunter thought that was how it would be. Suddenly two RPG's scattered them to take cover but away from each other with no radios communication either. As if things couldn't get any worse, Harry was about to start giving commands when a bullet shot through his chest on the left side.

"No..." Hunter whispered in fear as Harry dropped to the ground, bleeding profusely. "NO! HARRY! Shit...Hayes, Kingston, Manning, cover me. Harry's down!"

"We got your back! Fury, go with him!" Andrew nodded as Treyden and Hunter hurried out to get to Harry and drag him into the safety of the building they were taking cover in. Hunter quickly grabbed things to keep pressure on the wound while also attempting to stay calm.

"It's alright, Andersen. It's...going to be fine. Stay with me now, we're just a mile from extraction," Hunter urged as Harry was panting, breathing heavily and coughing up blood. It sent waves of pain through Hunter to watch his CO and good friend dying right in front of him.

"Hu-Hu...nt..er...S-st..op. It's...no...go-go...od," Harry forced out.

"Ssh, stop talking. It's okay, sir. The...bullet exited and we've got it...covered," Hunter argued.

Harry managed a weak smile and put his hand on Hunter's where it held the bloody rag in place as Hunter looked up and saw more platoon making their way to them and taking cover inside, but now able to see that Harry was very injured and might not make it. "Hun...ter. There's...no...po-po...int. You can't...hold...pres...sure a-and carr...y me. I'll just...slow you...do-down,"

"Don't talk like that, Major. You're going to make it, hear me? I'm not...losing you too. I know you're stronger than this, you've...told me all the stories," Hunter countered.

"N-Now...you lis...ten here. Th-This...is it for me. Y-Yo..ur...ord...ers are...t-to le-lea...ve m-me a-and get the com-comp...any back...t-to the ba...se safely. Un...dersta...nd?" Harry forced and coughed out which only hurt Hunter more. Now what was he supposed to do? Harry ordered Hunter to leave him behind. Hunter couldn't do it. Gods, he couldn't! "G-Go...now,"

"No, sir. I'm not leaving you behind. Even if...you die, I'm bringing you back with me. No...soldier left behind," Hunter reminded.

"This...is not...negotiable. Everyone is pinned down...and won't survive...this...me-mess. You have...to worry about them. Th-They need you...far more than...I-I do. Y-You're...in charge. Take...them to base. I-It's been...a plea...sure to...serve with you, Hunter and I know...you will continue...to go great things. You're a...leader, kid," Harry's breathing picked up as Hunter held his hand tightly while trying not to let the tears spill over from his eyes. "It's...up to...y-you. Lead your men ho-ho..me, soldier," the man managed another smile before he just...faltered and everything stopped. Harry's heart, pulse, breathing and the male's eyes remained opened but there was no life left to them. Harry was dead and the company was in danger, all of this fell on him to get them out safely and back to Camp Ormr. It was up to him now.


	46. Finally Back Home

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Finally Back Home

A chaotic mess; that is what Hunter was faced with now that Harry Andersen had died in Hunter's arms. On top of all that sadness and wondering how it went so wrong, Hunter had to get the entire company out and in one piece. There was only a mile to their extraction point, and Hunter needed to locate the rest of the company. Right now, platoons; Hooligan, Eruptor, Berserker were together. The other three were likely close by and taking cover from being shot at or caught in grenade blasts. Hunter was trying to stay calm about the situation, but it was hard with Harry laying dead on the ground before him, eyes still open but there was no life to the man.

"Hu-Hunter?" Treyden put a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder with concern. Hunter forced himself to look over to Treyden; there were tears in Hunter's eyes. Unfallen ones but they rested within sight; Trey knew this hurt Hunter. Losing a friend in battle was hard, them dying in your arms was more difficult. However, losing someone who was also you CO on a dangerous mission, in your arms, and leaving you with the responsibility of getting one hundred and eighteen people plus yourself to safety? There wasn't a word to describe that pain and hurt. "A-Are you okay, baby?" Trey managed to ask.

Hunter shook his head as he looked back to Harry, then closed the man's eyes with his hand while Hunter lowered his head for a silent prayer. "I'm not, Trey. Sadly, it doesn't matter if I am or not. I have to locate Charlie, Delta, and Foxtrot Platoons. Then somehow regroup us and get to extraction before...anyone else dies," Hunter finally replied as he used the back of his hand to wipe a tear that had managed to slip down his cheek.

"Orders, Lieutenant Haddock?" asked Caleb, head of the Berserker Platoon.

"We need to find the others," Hunter stated firmly as he stood up and glanced around to get a better idea of what they were dealing with. "Current sightings indicate we outnumber those pinning us down, but the enemy forces have heavier weaponry," he informed.

"Estimated guess?" inquired Syrus Mason, leader for Eruptor group.

"Fifteen to twenty at best. The RPG strikes hit to the left of us. There are buildings thirty or so feet away; the others must have taken cover in those. Also, there are more enemies that way, high up on the rooftops and in the street," Hunter described after getting his binoculars and taking a look around, activating the thermal sensors he was able to make out where enemies were and those hiding in buildings. Suddenly, Hunter heard the radio crackling as he turned it up a bit.

 _ **=Th...is-Ormr Stryke cal...ling Plas...ma F...ire, does anyone copy? Ov...er.=**_

=Plasma Fire to Ormr Stryke, we copy three out of five. Over.= Hunter replied after hearing Matthew's voice.

 _ **=Thank-Gods, we g..ot the to...wer work-again. Who-I sp...eak with? Over.=**_

=Alpha Hooligan leader. Over.=

 _ **=Gi..ve me...Plasma Fire CO. Over.=**_

Hunter closed his eyes for a minute before replying. =Plasma Fire CO was KIA, Ormr Stryke. I repeat, Plasma Fire CO has been KIA. Over.=

 _ **=The status report, Hooligan. Over.=**_

=Company separated. Within half a mile of one another. A mile to extraction, pinned down. Cover appreciated. Over.= There was no response after that, just static again. "Damn it!" Hunter slammed his head against the wall. Hunter then grabbed his phone out of his pocket and started up the walkie talkie feature. =Charlie, Foxtrot, and Delta. Do any of you hear me? It's Alpha. Over?=

After three minutes, there was a reply of; _**=Thank God you're all okay. This is Conqueror, and I have Nightmare and Armorcrash with me too. We went to the buildings behind us to the right of the strikes. Where's Andersen? We need to get out of here. Over.=**_

=Major Andersen is dead, Holgerson. I'm in charge and have Berserker and Eruptor with Hooligan. We're slightly across from your location. You have high shooters on the rooftops and enemies patrolling the streets. Do not leave your position; we'll come to you. Over.=

 _ **=Orders understood, Lieutenant Haddock. Do hurry, we have three injured at category orange and could elevate to red soon. Over.=**_

Hunter sighed. Great. Just what he didn't need were injuries that could become lift threatening if he didn't do something fast. Hunter couldn't access the base anymore, the radio seemed to be down again, but thankfully he could contact the other platoons through the walkie talkie on his phone. What did he do? It was too much to move as a group to the others, and Hunter didn't need more injuries or deaths.

"Kingston. Fury," Hunter stated firmly.

"Yes, sir?" Treyden and Andrew stood and saluted him.

"Take Anderson's body and lead Hooligan, Berserker, and Eruptor Platoons to extraction. I'm going to get the others and meet you there," Hunter ordered.

"Hunter, no! One person breaking off is how we lost Theo, and I'm...not losing you. I can't; please think of something else?" Treyden pleaded.

"I'll be okay. They can't all hit just one person, and I don't have time to debate this, I have to get them out. That's the mission, Trey. Pull everyone out and get back to the base. Do as I've asked, please? I promise you that I'll make it back in one piece. Maybe a few injuries but all in one piece. Nothing can ever take me away from you, not even war," Hunter assured as he cupped Treyden's cheek then kissed him deeply. "Go, now," he added after breaking it.

Treyden nodded as Andrew pulled Harry's body over his shoulders with some help and soon they were ready. Hunter grabbed a grenade off his belt and held the handle down as he pulled the pin then threw it into the street by the patrolling enemies. As soon as it went off, Hunter ran across while Treyden ushered the three platoons out and towards extraction. Guns were firing, and explosions were going off as Hunter barely missed being hit in the shoulder.

"Ah!" Hunter jumped back then kept going until he reached Asher and Brady.

"Where are the others?!" Brady demanded.

"Running for it with Anderson's body. Same as we're gonna do right now so grab those who are injured and get ready. I need four of you with me to send off frags and flashers as cover," Hunter stated. Four stepped forward with firm nods to him, ready for their command. "I took care of the street patrol nearest us, but it won't take long to send reinforcements so move it as soon as you see the frags go off. Our way out is a mile in that direction," he instructed getting another frag grenade ready.

"Got it," the soldiers replied. Hunter panted a few times before stepping out and getting shot at, a bullet hit the ground just a few inches from him. Hunter spotted the shooter and then fired back taking him out. Hunter saw groups on rooftops, so that's where he threw the grenade, then another to the building next to it. The four soldiers helping him set their's off with a wall of explosions.

"Run, now!" Hunter ordered, and the platoons darted in the direction they were commanded to with Hunter being the last to follow and offer as much cover as he could.

(Extraction)

"I see them!" shouted Conner from within the chopper. The three platoons were making their way through and loading up as quick as they were able to either a helicopter or jeep. Hunter came out of the smoke last ten minutes later, coughing hard but suddenly stopped and arch then hit his knees, falling forward onto the group. "Haddock's down!" he alerted as Trey and Nikolas rushed to help him.

"He's been shot..." Trey worried.

"We need to get him out of here and back to base," Nikolas insisted as the two moved Hunter to the helicopter and checked the wound over. "No exit wound, lower left shoulder blade. The entry shows coming in from a high point, and I can't tell how deep it is without moving the rag which will make him bleed more," Nikolas mentioned as he was holding a rag over the wound to stop the blood flow. Hunter was awake but seemed to be in a state of shock and having trouble breathing, like he was choking. "Go! Take off and move as fast as this thing will go!" he ordered.

"Damn it. Andrew, walkie Henderson!" Trey tossed the walkie talkie from Andersen's body to Andrew while he then moved next to Hunter. "Hunter. Hunter please...come on. You...promised you'd be alright...Stay with me," Trey pleaded while Conner joined in to help out.

"He's just in shock, Treyden. I don't think the bullet hit his lungs, the size from what I did see, the bullet has to be a handgun or along those lines," Nikolas informed. "Freaking out isn't going to help him. He's probably in a lot of pain and whatever that bullet hit is causing the trouble breathing,"

=Henderson, it's Sergeant Kingston. Lieutenant Haddock got shot in the back shoulder blade, left side. Bleeding profusely, pressure on and no exit wound. He's barely hanging to consciousness and have trouble breathing, category red!=

 _ **=Did this just happen?!=**_

=About five minutes ago, yes. Happened while he was running to extraction,=

 _ **=Open another air passage if needed. How close are you?=**_

=Fifteen out.=

 _ **=You're almost here; medical is on the pads already,=**_

Trey focused on Hunter, trying to keep him awake. When they reached the base, the four injured were taken right away, then Anderson's body by another set of soldiers. Trey went with Hunter to the CSH; he would be allowed to stay until he knew Hunter's condition. Treyden was worried and scared, but all he could do was wait it out and hope Hunter wasn't too severely wounded. There was only a month left of the tour; surely Hunter would be recovering through that now without a doubt.

(Three Hours Later)

Treyden was pacing with nerves, so much time had passed and about five check-ins from the Matthew to see how Hunter was doing but Trey said no report yet. Finally, a doctor emerged through the Operating Room doors and Trey faced him with grave concern.

"How is he?" Treyden inquired instantly.

"Surgery was a success, we removed the bullet, which looked to be from a Ruger 9E semi-automatic 9mm pistol, and all fragments then cleaned the wound. First Lieutenant Haddock took the shot through his left scapula, fracturing it then continued its path onto to crack an underlying rib before stopping and embedding in the intercostal muscles. No pins or plating was necessary," the doctor informed as Treyden breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"What's... is he looking at for recovery time?" Treyden questioned.

"Right now we've got him on antibiotics to prevent any infections, oxygen as it will be hard and painful to breath for a while and also, painkillers. If all goes well, I can discharge him in two weeks with a sling to support the damaged muscles and instructions for intense after wound care, but total recovery is two to three months," the doctor said. Treyden must have prayed a thousand times over to the Gods, thanking them for letting Hunter live.

"How is he right now, awake or sleeping?" Trey asked.

"Still unconscious from the anesthetic and in recovery. I don't suspect he'll wake up for another hour or so and it's already one in the morning," the doctor stated.

"Can I wait with him until he does? Please. Hunter is...more than my CO, he's also my best friend and lover," Treyden begged.

"That's fine. It might help for him to wake up to a familiar face," the man smiles then leads Treyden back to where Hunter's recovery room is, "When he wakes up from here and we check him over, then he'll be moved to a better room," he added as Treyden was looking over his boyfriend sadly but still thankful. Hunter laid there looking peaceful as ever in his sleep with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, an IV line in his arm and laying completely still with his shoulder all dressed up in guaze and wrappings. Trey grabbed the chair nearest the wall and pulled it close to the bedside where Treyden held Hunter's hand and kissed it softly. The doctor left with a smile.

"I love you," Treyden whispered. Before getting his phone and texting Andrew about Hunter's updated status with details, also that Trey was staying until Hunter woke up and added in for Andrew to make sure Matthew got the news as well.

(Three Weeks Later-Archi Island Airport; 1 pm)

Plasma Fire was home at last, Andrew let Caitlyn know the night before they were returning the next afternoon. All the friends and family sat at baggage claim and passenger pick up waiting for the company to to make their way down the stairs or escalators. Andrews parents stood with the Haddock's since Andrew wanted to greet them and then Caitlyn right afterward, the two had been together since June 6th and it was now January 4th, 2021, seven whole months. Andrew hurried down the stairs to greet them all but it soon became easy to see that when the company was reunited with their families, lovers, and friends; Hunter and Treyden weren't with them.

After the hug with Caitlyn, she inquired about it. "Where's...Trey and Hunter?"

"They won't be on this flight," Andrew informed softly.

"Was it overbooked and they took another one?" Audrey questioned now. Andrew gave a light, apologetic smile to the Haddock family and friends of it before shaking his head.

"Hunter and Treyden are unfortunately, still in Afghanistan for a little longer. I'm surprised no one informed you of what happened," Andrew stated.

"Are they alright?" Salvatore pushed.

"A lot has happened since that night we got called to rescue Echo," Nikolas sighed coming over now. "Harry was killed in the escape. In that extraction mission also," he paused.

"Hunter saved...all of our lives at the risk of his own," Asher stated coming over now. "We were pinned down when Hunter came to get us himself after sending Hooligan, Eruptor, and Berserker to the extraction point. Hunter made a distraction for us, as in Conqueror, Nightmare, and Armorcrash to run as well. We all made it out, Hunter was last and then he got shot in the left shoulder blade," he continued as the group of family and friends gasped.

"Well, it's been...three weeks since then, he should have been...discharged from the hospital by now?" Gregory mentioned.

"He was. Hunter was with us in the barrack until 11 pm. Hunter woke up in a lot of pain. Trey checked the injury and it was confirmed to be an infection, then Hunter was sent to the medic for treatment. Henderson made the call that Hunter cannot come back home until it clears up, safety measures so there doesn't need to be an emergency stop on the way back. Treyden is with him now, they should be right behind us in a week," Conner enlightened.

"How bad was the wound?" Shane inquired.

"I can't remember all the details, it was a scary night. Doctor even said that if it had been any bigger of a bullet and Hunter might not have survived," Conner said, then Trey and Nikolas nodded in agreement to not remembering.

"One of you could call Trey, he said to let us know when we landed?" Amber offered walking by with her family. Andrew got out his phone and pulled up the Skype application, then saw Treyden online so he clicked the call icon to wait for an answer.

" _Hey guys,"_ Trey stated calmly.

"Hey, Trey. How's Hunt and where are you two? That don't look like the medic's barrack?" Andrew inquired curiously.

Treyden sighed heavily closing his eyes. _"Back at the hospital. Hunter's infection got worse than the swelling by also having drainage, bleeding, fever, and excessive pain. I'm outside the room right now, Hunt just fell asleep,"_

"We're with his family right now, they wanna know how bad the wound was and none of us can remember. Can you fill them in?" Andrew asked. Trey nodded as Andrew handed the phone to Salvatore and everyone in the family or friend group tried to gather around to listen.

" _Tr-Tr...ey?"_ came Hunter's tired voice. Treyden hurried back into the room where Hunter was, he propped the phone up on the rolling cart while moving to Hunter's side.

" _Ssh, it's alright, Hunter. Are you okay? Another nightmare?"_ Treyden asked with concern. Hunter managed a nod as Treyden kissed his cheek, holding Hunter's hand and stroking the backside of it. _"Ssh, it's okay. I'm right here. Just rest, baby. The antibiotics make you tired. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."_ Treyden soothed until Hunter fell back asleep slowly. When Hunter's head flopped to the side tiredly, Trey turned his attention back to the phone while grabbing the phone and moving to the chair.

"Nightmares? From what, the attack?" Caitlyn inquired.

" _No, it's from...Harry's death, he died in Hunter's arms. As for the injury; a 9mm bullet tore through Hunter's left scapula from behind, or if you're unfamiliar with that term, it's the shoulder blade and fractured it. Also, the bullet cracked an underlying rib. Bullet was found lodged in the intercostal muscles. Three hours of surgery got the bullet and it's fragments out, Hunter was on antibiotics to prevent infection, oxygen to make breathing a little easier, and painkillers. Hunter spent about nine days in the hospital and was released since everything looked good. And now we're back here because something caused an infection. It's not bad but Hendersen doesn't want us flying until it's better,"_ Treyden explained.

"How long until he's healed fully?" Audrey wondered.

" _It's been three weeks since he got hurt. Doc said two to three months,"_ Treyden replied. _"We should be back next week as long as this heals up well. I'll keep ya posted,"_ he added.

"Thank you, Trey," Viola smiled gently. Trey ended the call as Sal handed the phone back to Andrew.

"Thank you," Sal informed. "Well, there's nothing else we can do but hope Hunter heals soon and they both return home," After that, everyone left the airport, hoping the next week went by fast.

(A Week Later)

The infection was gone, Treyden called Salvatore and let them know they would be arriving at the airport by 6 pm. Hunter's wound had been cleaned once more, then bandaged up for the trip home. Treyden took care of packing off their things and having them taken to the airport. Hunter's arm was in a sling and unfortunately he was still on oxygen because it was proving to be just a little too hard for him to breathe on his own. The flight was seven hours and fifty minutes, same as it had been going in to Afghanistan; there were two layovers but neither lasted longer than an hour and thirty minutes. Hunter hadn't minded the break.

Now back at the airport, Salvatore, Dustin, Viola, Caitlyn, Shane, Heather, Renee, Travis, Gregory, Audrey, Fisher, Drew, and Eddie were present for Hunter and Treyden's homecoming. Deboarding the plane, Hunter and Trey were off first because Hunter felt weak from the pain killer so the attendants arranged for Hunter to exit by a wheelchair and pushed by Treyden. Reaching bag claim and passenger pick up, two workers brought Trey and Hunter down by the center elevator. At the bottom, the doors opened as the Haddock's and friends were able to see Trey push Hunter out and thank the staff for their assistance.

"Why is he in a wheelchair? Is he...paralyzed?" Viola asked hoping to the Gods her son was alright.

"It's alright, Mrs. Haddock. Hunter's pain killers make his body feel like it's carrying fifty pound weights so we thought the wheelchair might be easier on him," Treyden explained. The group all sighed a breath of relief at the news. Hunter's arm was in a red sling and the light dressing could be seen under his black shirt that was tucked into the gray and black camo pants accompanied by black boots on Hunter's feet.

"Oh, my boy," Sal walked over and pressed his forehead to Hunter's for a makeshift greeting since he couldn't hug him. None of them would be able too knowing how much pain he had to be in plus they didn't want to make the injury worse.

"Hi, Dad," Hunter replied with a smile. After Sal stepped back, Hunter panted a little while looking back at Trey gently.

"Hard to breath still?" Treyden asked and Hunter nodded to him. Trey grabbed the small bag off his shoulder and placed it next to Hunter in the chair, next he hooked up the thin, clear tube to a small oxygen tank and put the other end behind Hunter's neck, around his ears and finally made sure it was positioned right before turning the tank on and Hunter took a few breaths. "Better?"

"Thank you," Hunter nodded once as the others came over to greet the two boys. When that was over, Trey and Shane grabbed the bags before they exited the airport. Hunter looked out the window of his father's car after Treyden and Salvatore helped him in, Trey sat beside him and held Hunter's hand as the car started for Treyden's place in Bashwick. Hunter relaxed a little. An entire year in Afghanistan, two hard losses of good friends but they were finally back home.


	47. Call For It

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Call For It

(Haddock Household)

The phone rang loudly throughout the quiet household belonging to the Haddocks. The time was 6 am as Sal woke up groggily then reached over for the handset on his nightstand, grabbed hold and pressed 'answer.'

"Hello?" Salvatore greeted while still lying in bed with Viola asleep beside him.

" _I need your help!"_ Treyden blurted out with worry.

 **/Flashback/**

 _A month they had been home and two into Hunter's recovery. The bullet wound was closed, and there was no longer a worry of reopening or infection but the fractured scapula and cracked rib was still healing. Following this was sure to be a month or two of physical therapy to make sure Hunter still had mobility in it. The doctors were saying with a few exercises that he should be okay. Most of this past month had been Hunter readjusting to life out of the war for the second time, but the nightmares about Theo's and Harry's deaths were starting to get to him, and he hadn't told anybody. Plasma Fire was home, and they knew what had to be done together; something they didn't get the chance to do since Hunter was severely injured and with Harry gone, Hunter was technically the leader of the company. The soldiers had to pay tribute to their fallen comrades and commanding officer._

 _It would be done within another ceremony, the promotions and awards one just like the first time. That is where the company was gathered now, at Archian Hall with Defender Brigade officer heading everything. Most of the soldiers were through; some awards were given to the next of kin since the soldier was no longer with them and had died on tour. It was the beginning of February, Hunter's and Treyden's birthdays were in this month, so that was something to look forward to, or so Hunter had thought before all this happened. Hunter was consumed with nightmares of losing his closest friends, the way they died ate at him in the night, and he woke many times in a cold sweat trying to catch his breath. Had he told anyone? No._

 _Hunter didn't expect any medal this time, just the Afghanistan Campaign one since everyone was receiving it for serving the one-year tour. Treyden made First Sergeant, and Andrew reached Sergeant First Class. When Ross Pearson, the Brigade Colonel stood before Hunter, the man smiles softly._

" _At last we come to our young First Lieutenant, Hunter Haddock, who will be receiving the Afghanistan Campaign for serving his twelve-month tour in Afghanistan," Ross pinned the small version in place then handed Hunter the medal one in a small envelope then stepped back holding the microphone and moving to his podium. Yep, just as Hunter expected. "Now, I know it's been a hard two months for all of you, Plasma Fire, with losing thirty-two members of your company. One of them, unfortunately, having been your beloved leader; Major Harry Andersen," Ross continued as a lot of the soldiers surprising lost their composure to lower their heads with closed eyes._

 _Hunter was one of those soldiers who tried to stay firm, but his hand balled into a fist at his side, and he shook a little. No, he would not break here. "I've worked with that man for years, and I'm honored to have the chance to serve with him as he was a damn good friend to everyone. I know I can speak for all of Plasma Fire and myself when I say he will greatly missed but forever in our hearts," Ross went on, then cleared his throat. "Since the loss of Harry, headquarters has been searching for officers and trying to find just one to lead this excellent company, and after two long months, they made their decision. Plasma Fire, are you ready to meet your new company head leader?"_

" _Sir, yes sir!" the one hundred and eighteen soldiers replied formally._

" _Plasma Fire Company of the Archi Island Army, I present to you your new commanding officer; Hunter Haddock!" Ross announced as Hunter's eyes widened. "Come on up here, young man," Ross invited. Hunter pulled himself together and left the formation to walk next to Ross who right away pinned a tag that read: **MJR. HADDOCK**. "You are the soldier they chose to give the company command to for your extraordinary leadership skills and always willing to put yourself in a line of fire to save your team no matter how big or small it might be. You've been promoted to Major and will take the reigns over this company, the one you saved when Harry Andersen passed away," _

" _I-I don't know what...to say," Hunter admitted as he shook Ross's hand absent-mindedly._

" _You don't have to say anything. You've earned this. Plasma Fire Company, Ladies, and gentleman, let's give it up for him!" Ross called out as everyone got to their feet while clapping, the company did the same. Hunter couldn't believe it, promoted to Major? The rank...Harry was before he died. Hunter didn't know how to feel about it, but he did keep replaying the scene in his mind when Andersen was shot and died in his arms. "Now, I understand that your company wanted to pay tribute to your fallen friends?"_

" _Yes sir," Hunter nodded._

" _Then," Ross handed him the microphone with a smile and stepped back. "the floor is yours, Major," Great, Hunter wasn't prepared for a speech. Honestly, he was just gonna let everyone in the company get a shot and honor them the way Harry did when the first tour ended. Now, he had to wing shit and didn't want to because he didn't know if he could make it through without going into a flashback of that horrible night. What did he say right now? Hunter didn't want this, it wasn't what he intended to do, and suddenly every set of eyes in the room were on him._

" _Something's wrong," Andrew elbowed Trey lightly, forcing him to look more closely. "Hunter doesn't freeze like that, Treyden," he whispered. Treyden knew Andrew was right; Hunter never froze when it came to things like this. Treyden could see from his stance that Hunter had a far off look in his eyes like he wasn't here anymore._

 _Hunter's mind was racing, flashes of Theo's death, then Harry's. The room was spinning as Hunter got dizzy, then light headed. The whispers were starting, everyone wanting to know why Hunter hadn't said a word in nearly two minutes. Treyden saw Hunter's eyes close tightly when fireworks started going off outside. "He's gonna black out!" Trey whispered in fear as he moved out of formation and hurried behind Hunter just as dropped the microphone and started falling backward, thankfully, right into Treyden's arms._

 _(Two Weeks Later)_

 _After Hunter passed out at the ceremony, he woke up five minutes later having no idea why he blacked out in the first place. Ross sent Treyden and Hunter home so Hunter could get some rest, feeling that maybe everything was just overwhelming for him. Treyden, Dustin, and Hunter left, then the Haddocks along with friends did the same moments later. The time might have only been 6:30 pm but Hunter went right to bed. Treyden was concerned and confided in his father about it but Dustin just said to give Hunter some time since they were just out of war, plus Hunter was dealing with his healing and Harry's death still since most of the first month since the passing had been spent with Hunter in the hospital and sleeping to recover. Treyden accepted the answer and periodically checked on Hunter through the rest of that evening._

 _Two weeks went by as Hunter's nightmares were getting worse but he refused to tell anyone about it, feeling that it was his battle to fight. Every night for Hunter was plagued with horrid memories of losing friends, mainly Theo and Harry but there were some of Liz's and RJ's. Deaths that were hard to watch or happened in his arms. Hunter was lacking sleep and working fourteen hour days, six days a week with his new rank of Major and job of company leader for Plasma Fire. Hunter hated the flashbacks, how quickly something triggered and he would space off frequently throughout the day but play it off that he was still healing and hard to sleep at night due to being uncomfortable._

 _Hunter knew it was PTSD and depression taking over, but he didn't have the heart to tell anyone how much he was suffering because everyone didn't need to worry about him. Hunter could handle it. It's just because things were fresh from Harry dying last month and leaving Hunter control of the company to get them to safety, then he got shot and still healing from that. No, Hunter wouldn't let it win, he could beat this on his own. Treyden had turned twenty-one, Hunter's birthday was two weeks away still, it was sure to be another gathering at his parent's house with friends and family. Wonderful for him, a crowded area where he couldn't just close himself off when flashbacks started._

 _The evening was worse; Hunter wake up from thrashing around in cold sweats and trying to catch his breath. Hunter would spash his face, use the bathroom, get a drink of water, then go back to bed but rarely managed to return to his sleep state, resulting in Hunter going to bed at 11:30 pm, then being up at 2 or 3 am from the night terrors and unable to go back to sleep. Regardless of all that, Hunter and Treyden were doing really well in their relationship, but they hadn't had a lot of sex given Hunter's arm being in a sling perdicament. By the grace of Odin, though, the two managed to make out and get one another off despite the lack of arm to engage in more pleasurable acts of intimacy. Hunter couldn't believe it would be two years together come May 17th, 2021. What was he worried about a little PTSD? Everything would be okay with time as it always did._

 _(Hunter's Twenty-First Birthday; Fury Residence)_

 _The party was being held at Treyden and Dustin's house for once, shocker for Hunter but he didn't mind. It had been another sleepless night and now he had to deal with everyone being around him when all he wanted to do was sit in his room and listen to music to drown out the sounds of bombs and gunfire. As expected, everyone was starting to arrive but he remained in his room, he told Treyden he was going to take a nap before the party, that was forty-five minutes ago. Hunter sighed as he sat up on his bed, then docked his phone to scroll through a few songs before finding something to listen to._

 _In the living room, everyone was there and wondering where the man of the hour was. "Hunter's napping, he was tired, so he told me to wake him when you all got here," Treyden chuckled after letting in Andrew, Conner, and Nikolas. Other's couldn't make it because of previous engagements._

" _Well, go get him. It sounds like he's up, I hear the music," Audrey smiled. Treyden nodded while headed to Hunter's room which was just off the living room, in fact, then Treyden's and his father's rooms were on the opposite wall. It was a small house, almost set up to be like an apartment but it worked for them._

" _He probably fell asleep with it on, he loves his music," Conner snickered with Nikolas. Treyden stopped at the door and listened closer. "What's up?"_

" _Nothing, I just hear music but no lyrics. I wonder if its one of his made ones, he doesn't let anyone hear them until they are done, and even then it's a stretch. Ssh for a second," Treyden remarked while cracking the door open a bit and peering inside to see if Hunter was sleeping. Instead, he saw Hunter sitting up on the bed and staring out the window with a saddened look in his eyes._

" _Do you know what it's like when you're scared to see yourself? Do you know what it's like when you wish you were someone else? Who didn't need your help to get by? Do you know what it's like, to wanna surrender," Hunter sang quietly as the music jumped to a louder set of instruments._

" _I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow! I don't wanna live like this today. Make me feel better. I wanna feel better. Stay with me here now, and never surrender!" the note held a few seconds before the melody went softer. Treyden glanced back towards the guests, Salvatore frowned a bit. The old man knew how much Hunter loved his music, creating songs but he'd never heard one quite like this before. "Never surrender..." was sung lowly._

" _Do you know what it's like when you're not who you want to me? Do you know what it's like when you're your own worst enemy? Who sees the things in me I can't hide. Do you know what it's like to wanna surrender?" the music picked up again as Sal moved closer to peek inside the room as well, seeing Hunter clench his fists and close his eyes._

" _I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow! I don't wanna live like this today. Make me feel better. I wanna feel better. Stay with me here now, and never surrender!" Hunter sang out as the music kept going with drums and guitar. Finally, it got quiet again. "Make me feel better. You make me feel better. You make me feel better," Hunter took a deep breath now, "PUT ME BACK TOGETHER!" he yelled._

" _I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow! I don't wanna live like this today. Make me feel better. I wanna feel better. Stay with me here now, and never surrender!" it seemed to repeat a few times after that before the song stopped and Hunter lowered his head down and sighed._

" _Hunter?" Treyden spoke up first while making his way in the room and sat next to Hunter on the bed. "Are you okay? I thought you were sleeping?"_

" _Yeah, I'm...fine, baby. I finished that a couple days ago, wanted to see how it sounded all together. I slept for maybe fifteen minutes and have just been lying awake the remaining time. Is everyone here?" Hunter asked, then saw his father. "Hi, Dad," he greeted while getting off the bed to hug him carefully. Trey smiled now, he knew things were okay. Hunter always wrote songs of different genres. Yet, Treyden couldn't deny seeing the emotion Hunter sang with, or the sadness in his eyes. For now, he'd leave it be but Treyden knew something was up and he intended to find out._

 **/End Flashback/**

(March 2021)

(Fury Residence; Little Before The Call)

Hunter's birthday was great, now it was ending the first week of March and things had been changing. Treyden started taking notice that Hunter was withdrawing from things he used to love, such as the music bit and practicing shooting at the range or at least being there. There were still a few weeks left in Hunter's full heal time but the doctors said he could start physical therapy as long as he promised to take it easy so now there were two appointments per week for that until the doctor cleared Hunter for full healing work. As it stood now though, Hunter still had his mobility, he was just really slow with it. Treyden knew something was wrong but Hunter didn't seem to be opening up about it, he worried if they were falling apart or that he wasn't a good boyfriend anymore for not seeing what was wrong, if there was something.

Tonight had been one they managed to make love, carefully to make sure Hunter's arm didn't get worse. That would be all they needed, have to go to the hospital because something shifted during them having sex. Treyden would never live it down and be terrified to show his face in public again if Hunter got hurt because they were having sex. It was a good night, Hunter fell asleep hold Treyden in his arms. Around 3 am, Hunter got up to use the bathroom but never went back to bed. Instead he was on the couch, trying to rid his mind of the nightmares. Hunter didn't know when it happened but he just snapped and cried for twenty minutes, he couldn't do this anymore. No matter what he tried or how happy he was, this was holding him back.

Hunter wrote a note and placed it on the living room table; then he grabbed his keys and wallet. Finally, Hunter left the house silently, leaving in his truck. At 5:30 am, Treyden was up and noticed the absence of his boyfriend. Assuming he might already be awake, Treyden checked around the house but never found him. Treyden checked outside to see the truck gone and started to worry.

"Dad! Have you seen Hunter?" Trey called over to his father's room. Dustin came out and saw Treyden's concerned face.

"Wasn't he in the room with you?" Dustin inquired.

"He...was but now I can't find him, and the truck is gone. I checked Hunter's room; the keys and wallet are off the nightstand, but his phone is still there," Treyden informed.

"Alright, don't panic. I'm sure he's probably just gone into work early, maybe he had to rush and forgot his phone is all. Call the base as if Hunter has clocked in?" Dustin offered. Treyden relaxed a little and called Fort Draco to ask if Hunter was there, but it never showed him arriving or clocking in, same with the other bases in towns surrounding the city. Treyden put the phone down while Dustin was sitting on the couch looking at a piece of paper.

"No one has seen him at work or the other bases. What's that you've got?" Treyden asked. Dustin faced him with worry. "What...is it?"

"Treyden. How has Hunter been lately, you know, since the end of the tour? Emotionally wise?" Dustin questioned.

"I-I don't know. He seems alright to me but...maybe not so much. I know something has been bothering him, but he says he's okay," Treyden replied nervously.

"Has Hunter ever meant it when he says he's okay and everyone feels like something is off?" Dustin mentioned as Trey shook his head. "I found this under the couch, and I think I've found out what the problem is. Hunter has PTSD, and from looks of this; it's bad, and he's hitting a breaking point with being unable to cope,"

Trey took the note quickly and read it over.

 _I can't stop seeing them die; I can't stop hearing their goodbyes. Everything hurts, it's all I feel. I can't fight or live this anymore. I just want sleep peacefully and see them as they once were, I want to be me, but I think I died a little more with the death of every friend I've lost. I want to be happy again, and I'm going to the place I know I can be._

Treyden's eyes filled with tears as he shook and Dustin hurried over to him. "H-He's...gonna hurt or kill himself! W-We have...to find...him!"

"We will. I promise we will, son. Call Salvatore, any of his friends. We'll all look for him," Dustin said quickly. Treyden scrambled to get his phone and call Hunter's father. It had rung three times before a groggy voice answered.

"Hello?" said Sal.

"I need your help!" Treyden blurted out quickly in his panic. Trey didn't care; Hunter was going to be dead if they didn't hurry. Treyden needed help, and this was his call for it.


	48. The Only One

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

The Only One

There was a lot of chaos ensuing within the Haddock Household walls after Treyden called Sal called in a panic about needing help to find Hunter. Though, Trey was so worked up in a worry that Dustin had to take the phone and explain to Salvatore about Hunter being gone and the note that was found under the couch. Of course, Sal reacted like any concerned father and jumped to his feet saying that they would find him before it was too late. What Salvatore gathered from the few sentences was that Hunter couldn't deal with the losses of his fallen friends and had taken off in a broken-down state of mind, which was never good. As soon as Sal hung up the phone, he quickly woke up Viola and Caitlyn.

"Sal, what is wrong, it's six in the morning," Viola began.

"Treyden just called me, Hunter's missing and left what sounds like a suicide note. We're gonna go look for him and pray to the Gods we make it in time," Sal explained as calmly as he could.

"W-Why would...Hunter want to kill himself! W-We just saw him last week!" Caitlyn panicked while throwing on a pair of socks and shoes.

"I said it sounded like one. We don't have time to debate this, call Andrew and have him help us. Vi, you call the Jorgenson's," Sal ordered as Caitlyn called her boyfriend, knowing he was awake at this hour and Viola called the Jorgenson residence while Sal was grabbing his keys and calling the rest of the friends who lived in Berkton. It was confusing and hard to explain, but everyone got the bottom line and drove out in car pooling manner to get to the Fury house. Arriving there within the hour, Dustin let them in, and they saw Treyden panicking on the couch.

"Alright, everyone just...calm down. I'm sure Hunter is okay. All his evaluations came back normal, and he wasn't at risk of snapping," Sal tried to console the worried friends, his daughter, and wife. Audrey stepped forward towards Treyden and saw the note on the table as she picked it up to read it over. "Something you find?" Sal inquired.

"Examining. In most suicidal people, if they are aiming to kill themselves in a breakdown, don't write a note this neat and would be on the premises trying to commit suicide. I've been learning about it in school. Hunter wrote this calmly, there are no tear stains on the paper or a shaky hand," Audrey pointed out.

"We're wasting time!" Viola sobbed with worry.

"Look, I don't think he's trying to kill himself, I don't see that in his words. It's clear he's suffering depression and PTSD because he says he can't stop seeing or hearing it all. I think the no sleeping comment comes from that, he keeps seeing death and can't sleep anymore, so he wants to sleep and remember them alive not dead. Also, he's saying he can't live like this anymore or deal with it, while that can point to suicide, I don't think its the case because he said too that he wants to be happy again but feels like he can't with all the pain," Audrey informed them.

"You think he's breaking down because of the hurt he feels but because he says he wants to be happy?" Dustin asked.

"Besides, in rushed suicide, he wouldn't haven't had a clear head to write this and be able to drive. But, enough time alone and he could try to find an outlet for the pain. I think he left a clue to finding him; _I want to be happy again, and I'm going to the place I know I can be_ ," Audrey repeated as Salvatore looked at Treyden.

"What death him hardest, Trey?" Sal asked, and Treyden got up now.

"Ha-Harry's did, he died in Hunter's arms when we were pinned down. Harry told Hunter to leave him behind and save the company, then he died. Then Hunter got hurt and was recovering in the hospital until the end of the tour," Trey stated.

"And like with all fallen soldiers, a ceremony was held for him after the attack was over, right?" Sal inquired. Trey nodded, "But Hunter didn't get to go and has spent a majority of healing from the wound here with you. I think I might know where he would have gone," he stated as a glimmer of hope reignited in Treyden. "Harry's grave. If what he's saying in that note is he wants to remember them as they were, going somewhere to be happy then he's not trying to kill himself, he's trying to mourn to cope with things,"

"Load up; we're going to Murdmount!" Dustin stated. Not wasting another second, Treyden and his father led the charge to where Harry was buried, twenty-five minutes away.

(Murdmount; Soulwings Sanctuary)

"Harry is buried towards the back along the stream, I was here when they buried him," Dustin informed as Treyden scanned along the water and saw a few grounds keepers, then Hunter's truck parked. Treyden looked closer and saw a figure sitting in the grass; head against the fence, body, looking limp.

"Hunter..." Trey whispered as he took off towards the back, Andrew right behind him. Trey hit the ground and saw the pictures in Hunter's hand, ones of the Hooligan Platoon and Plasma Fire Company when they all started in Afghanistan. Treyden lifted Hunter's chin and looked to see Hunter's eyes open but tears falling slowly.

"I-I just wanted to...be close...and remember the times...when it didn't hurt," Hunter wept. Treyden didn't even care, he pulled Hunter into his arms and held him tightly just as the others were rushing up. Once in Trey's embrace, Hunter held onto him tightly, buried his face in Trey's chest and cried.

"It's okay. Ssh, everything is going to be fine now," Trey soothed while Andrew looked at him worried and rubbed Hunter's back.

"Trey," Dustin got Trey's attention who just glanced over to his father, "Did he hurt himself?" Trey didn't want to look or pull away from the hug because it's what Hunter needed right now, to know he wasn't alone in this. When Hunter calmed down a little, Trey pulled back and rolled Hunter's sleeves up to check his wrists and then checked for other marks, weapons, or signs of pills. After that, Trey looked to his Dad and shook his head.

"Son," Sal knelt down next to Hunter now and hugged him, "Why didn't you tell anyone you were feeling this way?"

"I-I thought...I was strong enough to deal with it," Hunter replied in a cracked tone.

"No one is strong enough to cope with PTSD by themselves. You have to talk to someone, anyone at all but you can't hold the pain inside," Andrew mentioned to Hunter. "I have a mild case of it, so does Treyden. We both see counselor to cope,"

"It doesn't make you strong to do it alone, it's admitting you know you can't and asking for help. We're all here for you, Hunter, you don't have to bear the burden by yourself," Treyden held Hunter's hand tightly then hugged him again. "Don't ever...scare me like that again,"

"I-I'm sorry...I just-" Hunter started to cry again. "I can't...stop seeing it. I can't sleep and I don't...feel like me,"

"It's okay. It's alright. Nothing else matters other than you're alright and now that we know what's wrong, we can work on it together," Salvatore interjected. "Come on, let's get back," he said after a few minutes. Andrew and Trey got Hunter to his feet and then into his truck, Trey got the keys and turned it on. "We'll meet you back at the house,"

(A Month Later)

After getting back to Treyden's house, Sal sent the others home to leave it just be himself, Trey, Andrew, and Dustin there to work with Hunter. It started with Trey helping Hunter get a shower to calm down and the other three discussed how to go about this situation. It was agreed that Hunter didn't want to kill himself but he was getting to a point where a moment of weakness like this could be worse and Hunter slipped up with self-harm are going through with suicide. Dustin suggested that Hunter needed to be watched for a few days until his mood evened out. Sal and Andrew agreed with that. Next it was recognizing Hunter needed to see a professional psychologist and take some personal time off work to get his head in order.

When Hunter was out of the shower and dressed, Treyden confirmed that Hunter didn't have self-harm injuries and also that Hunter managed to fall asleep sitting on his bed and the three males explained to Trey what they felt should happen but Trey also told his father and Hunter's about why Harry's death was hard for Hunter to cope with. As more time passed leading into April, Hunter was doing better. It started with Hunter taking a week off work, then finding him someone to talk to about everything. The remaining time was working and spending time with Trey, family, and friend who helped him stay distracted and took the time to ask if he was alright or needed to talk. It was a slow start and still had a long way to go but Hunter was able to sleep again and start enjoying things he'd stopped when the depression hit.

~Hunter's POV~

Gods, I felt like an idiot. How could I have even thought that my family, friends, and even Trey wouldn't be here for me if they knew about the pain I felt? I never should have hid it from them and maybe I wouldn't of suffered for so long alone. I ended up admitting in my appointment to the doctor that there were times I thought about killing myself but always stopped because I knew how much it would hurt those who cared about me. I was doing better now, a month later. My wound was completely healed too and on top of psychology appointments, I had my physical therapy too. Doctors said it was looking good and would be fine come May. That cheered me up a lot and thankfully, I didn't have to wear the sling anymore.

I felt to the degree that it might have had a play on my emotions. I was useless without my left arm; I was limited with everything not being able to use it. I noticed now that I could use both arms, and have the freedom again; I was happier than before. I wasn't taking any medications for the depression or PTSD; the doctor didn't think I needed them. I was back to doing things I like such as being able to make love to my boyfriend again and with no restrictions either. I could shoot my gun, lift things, and sleep. Gods, I was happy to sleep. There were still moments I had trouble, but Treyden was there to get me through the night by holding me, waking me up slow so I was looking at him and it was a sense of comfort.

My psychologist and I only met once a week now, therapy appointments twice a week. The rest was working and spending time with family and friends. Andrew was living with Conner and Nikolas; he didn't like living in his and Theo's old place alone, I couldn't blame him. Trey and I talked about getting our own place too, but nothing decided on yet since I was having all the issues not too long ago. It almost turned into a big fight, Treyden reminding me that we were supposed to talk if something was wrong and the fact I hid when I wasn't okay. I understood Trey's point because he started crying and explaining that he was afraid to lose me, how could I be upset about that reasoning?

I loved Treyden, and he was scared not to have me by his side. It opened my eyes honestly, what was I without him? Treyden is my first same-sex relationship, and by the Gods, I wanted him to be my last too. Meaning, I never wanted to lose him. I was Treyden's first lover too, and he made his stance clear that he didn't want to lose me. In May, we'll reach two years of dating, and I knew exactly what I was going to do to show him how much he meant to me, how much I appreciated him being in my life and standing by me even when I started feeling depressed. Trey could have walked away, said he didn't want to deal with someone like me, but he didn't. Trey stayed and helped all he was able to. I wanted Trey in my life forever, and I was going to make it happen.

(May 17th, 2021)

Today is Monday, Treyden and mine's two year anniversary, we both took the day off work, and I had the whole day planned for us. Breakfast and lunch dates, mini-golfing, the shooting range, ice cream and a walk in the park. It was a little weird because so far, this was going exactly like when I planned to propose to Audrey before the truth came out of her abortion. Yep, that's right. I'm planning to ask Treyden to marry me, I knew what I wanted this time, and I'd never been surer of my choice. It was going to be a quiet night, just us. Dustin already made plans to disappear for the evening knowing what was gonna happen.

The day was perfect, and now, it was 6:30 pm, and we'd be enjoying a peaceful night at home, I was making dinner for Treyden and me, and over that is when I planned to ask him the big question. No one knew about this; I hadn't told a soul because I wanted it to be special. Getting home, I told Trey to slip into something more comfortable while I cooked so he took a shower and I made the food. It was one of Treyden's favorites; breaded and friend chicken tossed in with some butter, garlic, and herb pasta, a light layer of cheese. The time ticked away, soon it was 7 pm, and I set up a small table in my room with a table cloth and candle, then two plate and utensil settings. Finally, I brought in the food and placed the food on the plates; I kept the ring in my pocket.

"Hunter, where are you? You said dinner time," Treyden asked.

"In my room, Love," I called back, then dimmed the lights and stood ready after taking a deep breath. This is what I wanted, Treyden as my husband and in my life until we took our last breaths. Treyden entered the room, and his eyes widened. "Happy anniversary," I said softly.

"Baby, it's...amazing. I love it, thank you," Treyden smiled broadly while he hugged me and I laughed a little returning it, then I led him to the table and let him sit before myself in the seat across from him.

"Anything to see you smile," I replied while taking the covers off the plates, revealing the home cooked meal to him. "Your favorite,"

"You remembered!" Trey gasped excitedly.

"Of course I did, silly. Wouldn't be a good boyfriend if I didn't," I remarked while lifting the wine glass up, yes, I did wine over beer; decided to be a little romantic tonight. Trey raised his as we touched them together lightly, "To us and many more years together," I toasted as Trey blushed with a nod.

"To us," he repeated as we both took a sip then began eating. Doing this, we continued to talk about anything. Trey asked how I was doing in my appointment, both types and I said I was happier than I was two months ago in March. When dinner was over, I moved over to my phone dock and flipped on the music, a song I wrote him and me. **(It's just Back At One by Bryan Mcknight, in case anyone was curious!)** At this time too, I set my phone to record while bringing Trey to his feet, dancing with and singing to him. "I love you, Hunter,"

"I love you more," I said as the song was coming to an end. "I want to thank you, Treyden. You've been amazing to me since we've met and you're always here for me too. You could have left me, run away when I got depressed and suffered the PTSD. You could have broken up with me for not keeping my promise to tell you if something was wrong. You are my very best friend and my lover too. And I hope you know how grateful I am to have you in my life," I paused when the song stopped, and I stared at him, taking one step back. "I got you something, but first, I need to know if you're happy with me?" I asked gently while holding the ring box behind my back.

"The feeling I have for you doesn't have a word to describe it, Hunter. Since meeting you, even before we started this relationship, not a day passes where I'm not smiling because you are in my life. What we have...it's not just love, Hunt. It's something much deeper; true love, that I never want to lose," Treyden said, I smiled as opened the box behind my back, then held Treyden's left hand before bringing it around into his sight while I got down on one knee.

"Then say yes, and you'll never have lose it. I love you, and I can't imagine my life without you in it, Trey. Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband, will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?" I asked lovingly. Treyden's eyes widened, I saw them start to form tears.

"Yes..." Trey whispered out and then the smile before he tackled me down hard to the floor. "YES!" he shouted, I kissed him deeply and slid the ring on his finger. It was a semi small, black band with diagonal accent diamonds going around the whole thing. We got off the floor as I set him on my bed, then cleaned things up quickly after turning off the camera. I had taken pictures of everything. Tomorrow morning, it was going up on my social media page in an album titled; Best Night Of My Life. It would be everything we did, then show the video. When everything was set in the house, I turned my full attention to my fiance with a smile before kissing him passionately then laying him down on the bed with me over him, and we started making love.

There was no better way to end this night than by engaging in the most intimate act a couple could do. Everything had been perfect, and now we were engaged to be married. My life couldn't get better than this, and I felt like me again, I was happy and madly in love with this man. I loved Treyden, and he loved me, he was the only one I will spend the rest of my life with.


	49. Sealed Their Vows

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

Sealed Their Vows

Hunter and Treyden made love as long as they could go before they got too tired and sore, it had been an a amazing night for them. Treyden couldn't believe that Hunter put the whole anniversary day together to have it lead up to Hunter proposing to him. Now that they were engaged, Treyden and Hunter knew they would have a lot to talk about but it could wait a bit as they took a few days off or at least Hunter had put in for both of them to be out of work until Wednesday. Hunter had been awake since 7 am, Treyden continued to sleep beside him comfortably. Hunter's green eyes glanced over to Treyden's left hand, seeing the engagement ring; it just made it all the more real that it wasn't a dream. Hunter and Treyden had the best date of their lives, got engaged, and had sex for close to three hours.

Treyden began to shift a little as Hunter adjusted so Trey would be able to see him when he opened his eyes. "Good morning," Hunter kissed Trey's forehead with a smile.

"Hi," Trey said sleepily still, then yawned. "What time is it?"

"Little after 7 am. How did you sleep?" Hunter inquired lightly as Treyden sat up slowly and stretched, both of them were still naked.

"Better than I have in years. I don't have words to describe last night. How do I know this isn't a dream?" Treyden questioned.

"Check your finger. We're still engaged, and if this were a dream, we'd still be going at it because there are no limits within the mind," Hunter informed. Treyden looked down and saw the ring resting on his finger and smiled softly, snuggling into Hunter.

"True. I just...it took me by surprise, Hunter. I-I didn't think we were at this stage in our relationship yet," Treyden admitted, "We've never talked about the possibility of marriage,"

"I know. Honestly, Treyden, the idea of proposing came from the fact I don't want to share my life with anyone else but you. I always have my parents, sister, family, friends but those guys are...well I know they won't go anywhere. After my whole depression thing, seeing you stand with and help me through everything when you had every right to leave because I didn't tell you when something was wrong and I saw how scared you looked when you found me at Harry's grave. I saw that didn't want to lose me and when I started feeling better, I never wanted to lose the man who is my best friend, my lover and I want to be with you forever," Hunter explained.

"Now we will be," Treyden smiled as he linked his fingers with Hunter's and the two shared a kiss and then broke it. "So, what do you say to getting dressed and having breakfast because I'm starving," Treyden asked.

"Go on and use the bathroom, I'll start breakfast and go after you," Hunter chuckled. Treyden nodded as he got out of the bed, then grabbed some clothes to throw on; mainly just boxers, shorts, and a t-shirt. Hunter grabbed his boxers and shorts too. It was standard for them to both have things belonging to the other in each other's rooms. However, now that they were engaged, other living arrangements would need to be discussed and also wedding details. There was a lot that would go into this, but Trey and Hunter were sure they could handle it.

Trey went to the bathroom, Hunter got started on their morning meal. Something simple; toast with cinnamon powdered on, fried eggs with a little cheese, then two sausage links each. Hunter just finished plating it up and placing them down with coffee as well when Treyden made his way into the kitchen. The two sat down to enjoy breakfast, after a perfect night; it was leading into a perfect morning too.

(Lunch Hour; Berkton Community College)

The gang was all there, expect Drew and Eddie; both of them were working full time now. The rest of the friends all attended college for something else. Audrey was going out for Psychiatrist, Caitlyn joined the September semester for CNA so it would only be there for a short time. Renee wanted to work with animals, Travis and Shane were going for mechanic. Fisher was attempting to be a doctor and finally, Heather was aiming for small business owner. She liked creating jewelry and wanted to open a booth, then maybe a business to sell it in. Thankfully, they all had lunch together and that time was now.

"Caitlyn, have you heard from your brother?" Heather inquired.

"Well, yesterday was his and Treyden's two year anniversary so I don't assume he'd talk to anyone. I can't believe Andrew, and I will be a full year in June on my birthday," Caitlyn giggled happily while texting Andrew.

"I'm surprised that Hunter let him date you given the age difference," Renee chuckled.

"That's because Andrew went to Hunter first. Before leaving Afghanistan for his leave time to ask Hunter's permission to date you, Caitlyn," Shane snickered, and Caitlyn glared at him, of course, she was aware of that, but she and Andrew had talked about the possibility of dating and Andrew admitted he wanted Hunter's approval first.

"Oh. My. Gods," Audrey said slowly with wide eyes as she was scrolling on her phone, the quickly put it away and opened up her laptop, typing a few things and clicking on the internet then typing in something.

"What is it, Audrey?" Fisher wondered.

"Hunter and Treyden got engaged last night!" Audrey exclaimed. The six other friends scrambled out of their seats and over to see her screen, Audrey was on her social media page looking at Hunter's profile where the _Life Event_ alert read; **Hunter Haddock is Engaged to Treyden Fury on Monday, May 17** **th** **, 2021 at 7:45 pm**. Right under that was Treyden's profile update reading the same thing with a name reversal. With both life events were a picture of Hunter and Treyden kissing, then a shot next to it of Treyden's ring while Hunter and Trey were holding hands.

"Look, more pictures got uploaded of their day together," Travis pointed out. Audrey clicked on the first one and scanned through them seeing everything. The different places for dates, breakfast, and lunch, then the dinner set up in Hunter's room at Trey's place. "Oh, click the video!" Audrey did that, and they watched the dance and then seeing Hunter pop the question.

"Awe, that was so cute!" Renee and Heather squealed. Caitlyn phoned her father right away knowing that they didn't have social media.

"Dad! You'll never guess what happened last night!" brief pause from Caitlyn as she giggled more. "Hunter proposed to Trey, Audrey saw her profile page. Hunter and Trey changed their relationship statuses to engaged and had a lot of pictures up of it, plus a video of the proposal!" she chirped.

(Fury Household)

The boys had been in the middle of discussing possible wedding dates and living arrangements when Hunter got a phone call from his father, ranting and raving about congratulations, and they wanted to celebrate tonight so come over. Hunter chuckled and said that it would have to wait until the end of the week because he and Trey had things to discuss first so to plan for Saturday night or Sunday afternoon. Hunter ended the call and smiles.

"I take it your post, and the status change got everyone's attention?" Treyden laughed a little.

"Everyone in the family and our friends know we're engaged now. Next step is planning the wedding," Hunter stated as Treyden nodded. This was sure to be exciting.

(January 14th, 2022; 5 pm)

Today was the day. Hunter and Treyden's wedding. Yes, it was only eight months later from their engagement, but the two didn't care because they hadn't wanted anything big to celebrate with. Everyone who knew them was aware how in love they were. The entire planning process had been entertaining because not only did they have to plan their wedding, but also living arrangements. Apparently, Hunter and Trey would be getting their own place, so that was among the appointments for rentals, caterers, and tastings.

The first choice made was a date for the wedding; that was selected to be on January 14th, 2022 because it was the date closest to the 17th that fell on a Friday night so they could have their wedding, the reception, and finally leave for their honeymoon. That date was chosen the morning following their engagement and announced formally to family and friends at the small engagement party put on by Dustin, Viola, and Salvatore. The few months following that were apartment searches, a few viewings, speaking to vendors and more. On top of their plans was still work and drill weekend so planning a wedding in eight months, plus trying to find a place to live with so little free time was anything but easy.

However, the Treyden and Hunter managed to pull it off. Trey worked fewer hours; he took charge of researching possible choices for apartments and wedding details. Then Hunter and Trey would sit down with Hunter over dinner to talk about them. Usually, within a few days, they had a choice made. When Thanksgiving and Christmas came around, it was crunch time, but they did it together. It worked out that a new apartment matching everything on their want/need list within the price range and desired area was going to opening up in the beginning of February, so they snatched it up quickly when the realtor informed Hunter and Treyden about it.

The apartment was two bedrooms, one bathroom, and laundry room combination, kitchen, living room and it happened to be the first floor for $1,300.00 a month. First walking in was the living room and across that was the kitchen. The bath and laundry room combination was on a wall after the refrigerator. To the left of the living room was the master bedroom, and then beside that was the secondary guest room which Hunter and Trey were likely going to use for storage or an office since Hunter did bring work home with him sometimes. The living room was beautiful hardwood floors, two windows on the wall with the main door. The kitchen was L-shaped with a breakfast bar and room for a dining room table in the remaining open area of the tiled floor.

There was a utility closet on the wall with the fridge, then around the L-shape was the four burner electric stove/oven duo, counter space, double sink, then breakfast bar with room for four stools. Above the stove top was cabinets and then all along from the stove edge to the end of the bar was cabinets and drawers for storage. Also, there were two windows over the sink and sliding glass door leading to the backyard with a small stone patio and some grass. The laundry/bathroom area was a tub/show combo, next to that was the hookups for a washer and dryer with cabinets above them for storage. Across those two things were the toilet and sink which a mirror over it that slid open for storage too. There was also three drawers and a two door cabinet for the sink too. The toilet just had a stand up metal rack for spare toilet paper, towels, or whatever they wanted to put on it.

The apartment was perfect, so they paid the security to hold it for when renovations were done in February and would pay first months rent when they moved in. That was set in agreement back in October 2021. The rest of the things to do was more wedding plans, but it got Trey and Hunter to where they were now. About to be married as husband and husband. The young males chose to use a rentable hall in Berkton for a time slot of six hours meaning from 4 pm to 10 pm; it was theirs to decorate and use for their guests. Hunter was taking care of the music from his laptop, was easier than having a DJ. The food choice was spaghetti and meatballs or chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes.

The cake wasn't made by a bakery; Hunter did it himself because no place could do what Treyden and he wanted which got Treyden down until today when Trey saw Hunter's secret project. Hunter built a square, three tier army cake. It took almost a week to perfect, and Hunter worked on it at his parent's house so Treyden wouldn't know. Hunter sculpted all the pieces with edible clay; he made the camo pattern fondant with food coloring and a rolling pin. It was Hunter's surprise for Treyden when they went to the hall this morning to make sure everything was ready for them to set up. Hunter had the workers bring out the cake just to show Treyden, and he cried when he saw it.

Hunter used silver fondant to roll tiny beads and place them together to make the metal chain for holding dog tags, then three bigger tags hanging from it. Two had their names and birthdays, one showing; _Haddock, Hunter 2/29/2000_. The other revealing; _Fury, Treyden 2/13/2000_ , the third read in five different lines;

 _HUNTER & TREYDEN:  
_ _FRIENDS: JUNE 18, 2016  
_ _DATING: MAY 17, 2019  
_ _ENGAGED: MAY 17, 2021  
_ _MARRIED: JANUARY 14, 2022_

Yep, Treyden bawled seeing that because understood the significance of it. The two separate tags were to show who they were before with their birthdays. The third label represented that sixteen years apart and they became the best of friends and battle buddies, a couple, fiances, and finally now, married. It signified that they've been together through everything since they met and were now tying their lives together for the rest of it because they never wanted to live a life without the other one.

Hunter's best man was Shane, then his groomsmen Travis and Fisher. Treyden's best man was Andrew with Conner and Nikolas as groomsmen. Guests were kept to the usual group of people. Salvatore, Viola, Caitlyn, Shane, Shawn, Mikayla, Dustin, Gregory, Audrey, Renee, Fisher, Heather, Travis, Eddie, Drew, Andrew, Asher(Conqueror), Caleb(Berserker), Brady(Nightmare), Conner, Nikolas. Even Amber, Amanda, Danielle, and Zander showed up, original members of Striker One. Hunter and Trey couldn't not invite them. Harry, Theo, Jay, and Liz were there in spirit but given the recognition by using a photo of Striker One with Harry when they first arrived there. Big picture on display by the Striker One table which was close to Hunter and Treyden's private table. Everything was perfect, this was going to be a night to always remember and it was starting now.

"You ready, son?" Sal asked Hunter who was dressed in his army formals; Trey would be wearing a white tuxedo. The minister was standing by Hunter and Sal too.

"I've been ready for a long time," Hunter replied with a smile. Andrew poked his head out and gave a thumbs up to Shane who nodded.

"Alright, Uncle Sal. Time to get to your seat," Shane stated as Sal moved back to his seat and next to Viola and Caitlyn. The minister took his position as gathered everyone's attention.

"I'm going to ask that everyone takes their seats as we're going to begin," the man, Daxter Bludvist, informed. **(Yes, Drago is being portrayed as the minister. I needed a name, his popped in first. Deal with it :p)**

Everyone took their seats and quieted down as Hunter pressed a button on his watch and the music played lightly. First out of the room was Conner and Nikolas, behind them came Andrew. Last, it was Treyden wearing his all-white suit. Well, it wasn't all white but different shades to give some contrast. Hunter smiled broadly at the sight of his soon to be husband; this was it, in about fifteen minutes, they would be married. Conner, Nikolas, and Andrew took their places and then Hunter put his hand out to Treyden when he got closer and brought up over and across from him.

"You know, I can't wait to rip that suit off you later tonight and ravage you like never before," Hunter teased as Treyden blushed furiously.

"You will do no such thing; I'd like to keep this one in good condition," Treyden remarked quietly.

The guests started to laugh a little. "Fine, I'll leave the suit alone, but you didn't say no to the ravaging," Hunter grinned which made Trey's blush worse.

"You're terrible," Trey responded.

Hunter took Trey's hands and kissed the knuckles, "And you're about to marry me knowing that full well. There's still time to back out if you want," Hunter said.

"Never. I want you forever and always," Treyden smiled.

"So what do you say we do this and start our future?" Hunter linked his fingers to Treyden's with a soft, loving smile.

"We started it the day we met; I say we just keep going," Treyden replied.

"That's an idea I can get behind. Let's keep going," Hunter nodded as they stared into each other's eyes. "Take it away, Minister Bludvist," he invited.

"Right away, Mr. Haddock. Thank you to the friends and family that are here today to celebrate the union of Hunter and Treyden. This occasion not only marks the beginning of their marriage commitment together, but it is a commemoration of the love nurtured and shared between these two. Together, they embark today on a new life together, built on the foundations of trust, communication, compassion, mutual respect, and of course, love." the man took a breath facing the guests. "If there is anyone in attendance who has cause to believe that this couple should not be joined in marriage, you may speak now or forever hold your peace,"

Hunter's gaze seemed to skim the crowd, daring someone to talk and say he shouldn't marry Treyden. Everyone remembered what happened the last time someone tried to speak about their feelings regarding the matter. Viola almost got herself arrested by her own son when she didn't support his decision or sexual orientation. Today was NOT that day to piss Hunter off because someone might die and then he'd skip town or even the island to avoid prison.

"Perfect! Seeing as you've...already joined hands. Hunter Haddock, do you take Treyden Fury as your cherished husband, in front of these witnesses, and promise to stay by his side through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?" Daxter asked looking at Hunter.

"Been there and done that. I made that promise a long time ago, so yes, I do," Hunter replied as he saw his father shake his head. Of course, Hunter would say something that was not in the script. But hey, it was Hunter, he never did what he was supposed to do.

"Well said. Treyden Fury, do you take Hunter Haddock as your cherished husband, in front of these witnesses, and promise to stay by his side through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, joy and sorrow, so long as you both shall live?" Daxter turned his head to Treyden.

"Without a doubt I do," Treyden stated.

"May I have the rings please?" Daxter asked as Shane pulled them out of his jacket and handed them to the man who held them up to the crowd. "The wedding rings perfectly symbolize the never-ending love you two have for each other. By exchanging these rings, you solidify a lifelong commitment to one another. The rings serve as a welcome and constant reminder of the bond you've formed with your partner. Please repeat after me: I, Treyden, give you, Hunter this ring as a symbol of my enduring love. Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me."

Daxter handed Treyden the black, thick, band as Trey took it and held Hunter's left hand in his right. "I, Treyden, give you, Hunter this ring as a symbol of my enduring love. Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me." he slid the ring onto Hunter's finger. Daxter handed the smaller band to Hunter.

"I don't need the repeat," Hunter took Trey's left hand in his right and started slipping the ring into place. "I, Hunter, give you, Treyden this ring as a symbol of my enduring love. Just as the circle of the ring completes itself, so you complete me." the two locked hands again as Daxter smiled.

"Hunter and Treyden, by the power vested in me by the city of Archi Island, I am pleased to pronounce you husband and husband, sealed together today both in law and in love," Daxter paused as Hunter looked at him as if to tell him to give permission he could kiss Treyden. "Yes, yes. You can kiss him now," Without wasting another moment, Hunter let go of Treyden's hands, snaked one of his arms around Treyden's back the brought him close to his figure and Hunter kissed him deeply and passionately. They'd done it, finally married! This kiss sealed of their vows.


	50. Became All I Can Be

**All I Can Be**

 _ **Pairing;** Hunter(Hiccup)/Treyden(Toothless)_

 _ **Rating** ; M for Mature_

 _ **Author;** Nightstar Fury_

 ** _Disclaimer;_** _I do not own any songs I might use or anything regarding HTTYD._

 **~(Author's Note;** _Alright folks! This is the LAST chapter of All I Can Be, so I hope you all enjoy it and I promise to have a new story up in the next few days. Still scoping through a document of ideas I wrote down while writing this. Well, onward to the end!_ **)~**

Became All I Am

It was like they were frozen in time, that it was just the two them locked in that kiss for ages when in truth it was only fifteen seconds before Andrew cleared his throat to break them apart. As they did so, Hunter and Treyden pressed their foreheads together smiling with closed eyes. Gods, Hunter wanted to say fuck the party and just take Treyden to the hotel now, ravage him all night long until they collapsed from exhaustion or soreness, whichever came first in their love-making.

"I love you," Hunter whispered to his husband.

"I love you too," Treyden replied gently.

"You know, there is a room full of people who don't want to see you two get into it on the floor," Shane stated.

"Save it for later," Andrew added.

"I swear if you two or anyone else tries to stop me from loving my husband whenever and where ever I want, I'm drop-kicking all of you to the floor," Hunter warned. "Our wedding, we don't need your approval,"

"Shutting up," Shane, Andrew, Fisher, Conner, Nikolas, and Travis said quickly while backing away.

"We should partake in a little of the reception, babe. You get me all tonight and the next seven days," Treyden giggled a little.

"Oh, I suppose. Daxter, would you like to finish it off?" Hunter sighed as Treyden and he stood straight up, holding hands while Daxter nodded. Hunter and Treyden faced the guests smiling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now have the privilege of presenting for the first time, Mr. and Mr. Hunter and Treyden Haddock!" Daxter announced as the crowd stood up in applause for the newly married couple. "Are you two moving right into your first dance?" Daxter whispered from behind the two lovers.

"Might as well, then we can do dinner and open the floor for dancing to the guests while that settles before we do cake and other wedding activities," Hunter shrugged. Daxter nodded to them with a smile as he stepped back with the microphone.

"At this time, I'd like to ask all guests to move off the floor as the newlyweds will have their first dance," Daxter informed as the lights dimmed and Hunter moved to his laptop to get the song ready.

"Wait a minute; we never picked a song to dance too?" Treyden worried.

"Relax, babe. I realized we didn't so I've got something that works. I think you'll like it," Hunter smiled as he moved closer to Trey with his hand out. Treyden took Hunter's while bring pulled into the arms of his husband. _"When I'm with you. When I'm with you. When I'm with you-you-you. You...When I'm with you."_ Hunter started softly as Treyden's eyes widened a little. Hunter...wrote a song for them?

" _What good is a memory, without you there with me? The morning sun ain't the same without you here. You are the summer breeze. The wind blowing through the trees. You make the loneliness, all just disappear. "_ Hunter continued. Treyden was sure of it; Hunter made them a song because there were no lyrics emitting from the speakers except the background singing which was also Hunter's voice pre-recorded.

Hunter held the higher note with a smile.

" _What's a photograph, if you're not in the other half? Why even dream, if I'm not dreaming of you? You make me a better man. Promise I'll do all I can. Your love keeps me bringing me closer to the truth._ _Nothing replaces your touch. Never stop believing in us. They try to break us, but we stand strong in love. They'll be no distance too far, I gotta be where you are(right where you are),"_ Hunter sang and took a breath while still dancing with Treyden who looked like he was about to cry hearing Hunter's song for him.

Another breath before he kept going. _"When I'm with you. When I'm with you. When I'm with you-you-you. You... When I'm with you."_ Hunter twirled Treyden once and then brought him back against his body with a smile. _"Hey, I questioned whether time or fate would ever show me a sign. The moment I saw you, that's when I knew. I feel it when I'm with you!"_

" _I don't wanna face this world alone. Without you by my side. You're the only one that makes it feel like home, and I need you in my life. When you're not around, I'm feeling, like a piece of me is missing. When it feels like the day is closing in, somehow I find the faith to make it through! When I'm with you. When I'm with you. When I'm with you-you-you. You...When I'm with you..."_ Hunter slowed as he leaned in closer to Treyden who was now smiling but tears settling in his eyes.

" _When I'm with you. When I'm with you. When I'm with you-you-you. When I'm with you..."_ The song stopped as Hunter cupped Trey's cheek and kissed him deeply again. Hunter broke it after a few seconds; it was quiet. "I love you, Treyden Haddock," Hunter whispered against his lips.

"I loved the song, and I love you too, Hunter Haddock," Treyden replied, trying not to cry now. The song was fantastic, nothing like Trey had ever heard before but full of so much meaning and emotion. Finally, the lights came on a little more, and the clapping began. Hunter led Treyden to their table and sat him down; then Hunter went to lower the music and announce that it was time to eat, after that there would be more dancing for anyone who wanted too.

Dinner was calm, everyone talking at their tables. Hunter tried to keep them grouped the best he could but figured it wouldn't matter after they ate because people would be up and wandering around freely or dancing until it was time for cake. Right now, most everyone had finished their food; servers were going around and clearing empty plates, but the cake hadn't come out yet because Hunter wanted the to be a surprise for everyone else to see, no one had except Treyden. When Hunter and Trey were done eating they started making their way around to the different tables to talk to others and enjoy the party. After all, Hunter and Trey would have all night together, and no one would see or hear from them for an entire week.

Around 7ish after everyone finished eating and was moving around on the dance floor having fun, Hunter and Treyden decided it was time to let the best man's do their speeches; Andrew and Shane both wrote one, after that they would cut the cake. So for about twenty minutes, Shane and Andrew gave their speeches about knowing the boys and how things turned out, a few stories too. Shockingly, Dustin and Salvatore ended up taking another fifteen minutes between the two of them to say a few words as well and wishing Treyden and Hunter the best towards the future. Hunter signaled for the cake to come out as Trey and he moved to the table it would be on.

"Wow, that's a killer cake! What bakery did that, Hunter?" Xander exclaimed.

"No bakery. Hunter did this himself. Never knew he was such an artistic baker," Treyden replied as eyes began to widen. "We checked all bakeries around, but none were able to make a camouflage cake to represent that Hunter and I started this journey because we joined the army. So, mister crafty over here decided to keep it a secret and bake the cake in sections over at his father's house and turned it into this masterpiece which I'm absolutely in love with," he explained.

"The detail on the weapons and people are exquisite, Hunter. Are those flags there to represent the first Plasma Fire platoons?" Brady asked.

"Sure are. Harry's figure is standing behind them, as he always did in life. Treyden and I at the top of course. A few grenades and gun statue, then what took the most time was those tags," Hunter chuckled motioning to the pieces while describing them.

"Perfectly portrayed, showing the dates from the beginning to now. It's magnificent, son," Salvatore stated as everyone was taking pictures before it got cut into. However, first, Hunter carefully removed the top layer with their figurines and the tags piece off the rest of the cake. One of the staff took it carefully and returned the section to the back fridge. "What was that for?"

"Hm? Oh taking that off? It's a tradition to save the top tier and freeze it, then when Treyden and I celebrate one year of marriage, we take that section and thaw it out then enjoy eating on our anniversary. Sounds corny, I know, but that's just we decided to do," Hunter shrugged.

"That's so sweet!" Renee and Heather practically melted at the notion of sharing the top layer after one year of being married.

"Ready, baby?" Treyden asked as Hunter picked up the knife and Trey held it with him as they cut the first and second pieces together, plated them and returned to their table as a staff member came over to do the rest for other guests. The cake was delicious! Hunter was an excellent cook! The night continued as people continued to talk and dance, Hunter and Treyden partook in a few more themselves then sat around with others to chat.

"So, you two planning on having kids? Well, adoption or surrogacy?" Audrey inquired.

"I'm sure at some point we will but not right now. In June, we'll hit six years in the military and still two on our contract following that mark. Perhaps after then, we'll take the idea into consideration," Hunter replied.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to start a process like that when there's risk of being deployed and not being there for the birth, if surrogacy was used or something halts an adoption. It's best to wait," Treyden agreed.

"What will you two do when contracts are up?" Conner questioned.

"Haven't given it much thought," Trey shrugged.

"I have," Andrew stated, "I'm going reserves or part time as it were," he admitted. "Losing Theo kind'a did it in for me that I don't want to do active duty for years on end. Plus, I want more time with Cait and our baby," Andrew instantly covered his mouth.

"ANDREW!" Caitlyn whispered in shock then looked at Hunter who's brow had begun to twitch.

"Baby?" Hunter asked.

"I, uh, she...Well," Andrew tried to say, but he sighed softly knowing he couldn't lie to Hunter. "Caitlyn and I just found out she's six weeks pregnant on Wednesday. I-I'm sorry, Hunter. I didn't want it to come out this way; we were gonna announce it...after you and Trey came back from your honeymoon. Viola and Sal already know, so do...all these guys," he motioned to the friends from Hunter's High School days.

"You kept your promise of waiting until after a year to have sex with her, I'm good. But on a curious note, why haven't you said anything before now?" Hunter asked.

"Because we know you and Trey were busy with the wedding and didn't want to add trouble, plus, I mean coming out here...it's your guy's wedding, we didn't want to crash that with our news," Caitlyn mentioned.

"Stupid. You're my little sister, finding out I'm gonna be an uncle is incredible," Hunter chuckled a bit.

"Sorry, big brother," Caitlyn stated as Hunter moved over to hug her tightly, then shake Andrew's hand with a smile.

"You take care of her, or I'll beat you into your own grave. Got it?" Hunter warned.

"Aye, aye sir!" Andrew saluted him.

"Good. However, on Andrew's statement about going part time. I've been considering to do the same," Hunter admitted which shocked Treyden a bit.

"And why haven't you told me about this?" Trey inquired.

"I was going to after the honeymoon. It's crossed my mind once or twice, especially putting together that picture of Striker One. You saw what the deaths did to me, Trey. Even if I was the one who chose not to tell anyone it bothered me, that's how much it all affected me. When my eight years is up, I think I might move to part time. I'll finish off my contract, but I don't think I can stand to stay active duty after that," Hunter informed.

"Well, if you're going part time then so am I. Besides, it might be nice to settle down now that we're married," Treyden smiled as he kissed Hunter lightly.

"That's what I thought too, aside from all the other reasons. The military brought me to this life with you, and now I want to be able to enjoy that," Hunter nodded as Treyden relaxed on his shoulder. Yes, having his thoughts in the open on the subject made the choice more clear. Hunter loved the army and wanted to continue being a part of it. However, recalling his breakdown and all the deaths that occurred between two tours alone. No, Hunter didn't want to be in a massive line of fire as it were anymore. Hunter was married to Treyden and wanted to live the life they chose to have together and stay out of active duty. Being in the reserves, Hunter knew he wouldn't deploy unless it was needed as a last resort and those rarely happened.

The party continued calmly after that, plans for the future being talked about. The time hit 9:30 pm as Hunter and Treyden were ready to leave. Viola and Salvatore told them not to worry about cleaning up, just to go and they'd see them in a week. Trey and Hunter changed clothes into something more comfortable then said their goodbyes, thanked everyone and left in Hunter's truck towards the hotel, which was only for tonight and tomorrow was the start of the seven-day honeymoon cruise.

(Archian Grand Hotel; 10:40 pm)

After leaving the reception from their wedding, Hunter and Treyden traveled into the city where their hotel was, and it was right by the airport so they could leave smooth in the morning. After parking, then grabbing the overnight bags and getting checked in, it was almost 11 pm when they reached their room.

"Well, we did it, baby. We're married!" Treyden said excitedly.

"I know. And you want to know the first thing I want to do now that we're alone?" Hunter smiled softly as he took Treyden's hand in his and walked him to the edge of the bed, then sat Trey down as Hunter leaned in close while intertwining their fingers together.

"What's that?" Treyden replied with a blush.

"I want to make this marriage official by making love to you as long as we're both able to withstand it before needing to sleep," Hunter enlightened truthfully. Treyden's eyes met Hunter's now.

"Do it, make love to me, Hunter," Treyden invited softly. Hunter needed nothing else as he flipped off the light for the room after making sure it was locked with the door hanger saying 'do not disturb.' Hunter dimmed the lights a bit so he could still see his husband while this happened then he laid Treyden down on the king sized bed, crawling over on top, then kissing Treyden deeply.

 **(Hunt X Trey Lemon)**

Usually, things started quickly between them but not tonight. No, Hunter was going to take it slow and let them both enjoy it as long as they were able. This evening, Hunter wouldn't let Trey do anything to him, Hunter was going to take the reigns and show Treyden how happy he was, how...complete he was now that the two of them were married and nothing could ever tear them apart. Hunter's kisses with Treyden came fierce but still filled with passion and depth while returning to his feet and pulling Trey up to remove his husband's shirt and get it out of his way, then Treyden did the same to Hunter's shirt before being laid down once again. Treyden's hands were around Hunter's shoulders, drawing him down and in for more kisses. Hunter broke loose and started kissing on Trey's neck gently, causing his husband to moan softly.

"Mm, Hunter..." Trey breathed out as Hunter's hand slipped down Treyden's body to the button and zipper, working them to come undone and loosened for Hunter to get his hand in and stroke his husband's cock a few times. "A-Ah!"

"Ssh now, we aren't home remember?" Hunter reminded lovingly as Treyden nodding, understanding he had to keep his voice lower in the hotel when they did this. Hunter pulled his hand out and began to trail kisses down farther until he reached the waistline and removed his lover's pants and boxers from Trey's legs and tossed them carelessly onto the floor, then Hunter turned his attention to Trey's hardened length. Hunter smiled as he kissed the top then brought his mouth to it, bobbing his head up and down a few times, this caused Treyden to moan again.

Hunter removed his mouth and started stroking it with his hand now that it was lubed up for easier movements without causing friction or pain. These actions were accompanied by more sucking after five or so minutes. Unfortunately, it never took Hunter long to get Treyden close to releasing because Trey loved how it felt. After Treyden had released once, Hunter lifted his husband legs a little to reveal his ass. Hunter turned Trey over, so he was on his stomach, then Trey elevated his rear into the air by getting on his hands and knees. Hunter moved in closer and kissed down Trey's back until reaching his butt, Hunter then spread the cheeks apart and began to tongue around the rim.

"Hunter!" Trey gasped out; they had done it before when they started having sex almost three years ago. Exploring the different forms of pleasure, they could experience, and Hunter found that Treyden adored having his ass eaten out, so Hunter added that to the list of things he did to please his lover. Hunter licked around the outside of the hole, then tongued at it a few times while Trey panted and moaned, even going as far to bury his face in the pillow so not to yell out at the feeling. Hunter kept at his work for seven minutes, then used his spit to lube it up and begin fingering his husband with one at first, then adding a second one five minutes later.

To add to the pleasure, Hunter started using his free hand to reach under and stroke Trey's cock at the same time. This drove Trey wild and Hunter knew he was doing his job right. When Trey got close to cumming again, Hunter stopped giving the hand job but kept at the finger pounding because that's how Trey liked it as Hunter discovered over time, his lover loved it hard and fast.

"Mm! Hunt, please...No more teasing, I want you!" Trey pleaded as Hunter removed his fingers, then left the bed to grab the lube out of his backpack. Tonight was the night they were going unprotected or bareback as it was known in the community. It had been discussed among their more private conversations about the wedding, which tonight would be the one where they didn't use a condom but would still finish one another off without cumming inside. Hunter lubed Trey up once more, and then himself before pressing the top of his hardened length at Treyden's entrance and pushed in slowly.

"Gods, you're so tight," Hunter groaned in pleasure at the feeling of everything without a condom on. Hunter started his thrusts in and out slowly to allow for it to be more passion than fucking. That is what this evening was about, them making love and consummating the marriage they began tonight. It was something all couples did, so why shouldn't they do the same? Hunter's and Trey's lives were perfect since meeting one another; there was never a dull day between them. The sex continued as long as they were able to make it last by switching positions every five to ten minutes, also using foreplay to draw it out more.

Treyden almost begged for it; but Hunter gave in and let Trey enter and fuck him too because Treyden wanted Hunter to feel how amazing it was without the condom, so that became a thing for about forty-five minutes; Trey being the one to show Hunter some of the pleasure he had been receiving. Hunter enjoyed, things were different without a condom on. To think, they started this venture at 10:45 pm, it was now 3:20 am as both of them were reaching their peak point of pleasure and unable to hold back.

"Ah, Hunt...I can't anymore," Treyden told him, panting hard.

"Ah, neither...can I," Hunter exasperated. They were tired; it was time to end this and call it a night. Hunter pounded in a few more times before pulling out and crawling over Trey carefully, both of them panting hard and reaching for each other's throbbing lengths. Doing as they always did, jacking one another off until they released at the same time in the overwhelming pleasure gathered through the evening together. Hunter kissed Trey passionately before climbing off and grabbing a shirt from the floor so they could clean up first, then get comfortable in the bed to sleep.

 **(End Trey X Hunt Lemon)**

The two were laying down under the covers, Treyden was in Hunter's left arm, his head against Hunter's chest with closed eyes. "I...love you, Hunter," Treyden managed while coming down from the feeling still.

"And I love...you as well, Treyden," Hunter replied with a smile as he kissed Trey's forehead. "Rest now, Love. We have the rest of our lives to share on perfect days and nights like this one," he added as Treyden and he kissed again. Not long after, Treyden was fast asleep, his hand with the wedding rings sitting on Hunter's chest.

~Hunter's POV~

I laid there awake watching my husband sleep peacefully in my arms, his rings glimmering in the dimmed lights of the room and my ring was showing from my hand that rested on Treyden's shoulder. We were together and married, the wedding had been exceptional and our night just now, even better. While lying still staring up at the ceiling as sleep began to take me away, I couldn't help but think of how I got to where I was now. Six years ago, I had four incredible friends; Renee, Fisher, Heather, and Travis. I had my cousin, Shane as a friend too. I had two uncles, Shawn and Gregory, who also happened to be mine and Caitlyn's godfather. I had a girlfriend at the time, Audrey, who started as my first friend and became one of my best. With all that, I had my little sister, Caitlyn and of course, my parents, Viola and Salvatore.

That is how things were in 2016 at the end of my Freshman year in High School in May. By June, the next month, I joined as a member of the Archi Island Army because I knew I could become more. The motto for the army is 'Be All You Can Be.' When I think about that line, I can't help but wonder if I've lived up to it. Joining the army gave me Treyden who very quickly became my best friend and saved my life at Basic graduation. Joining also gave me Striker One and Harry, though, a few of those friends are gone now, I know they are with us always. Joining showed me who was truly on my side and wanted my happiness.

The Army helped my Mom finally come around to support my choices and be happy for me. The Army showed me how strong I am and lastly, the Army revealed who my soulmate is; Treyden. So. when I ask myself if I lived up to the motto, I can honestly say that with my family, friends, job, and now husband; I became all I am, and I have become all I can be.


End file.
